The Light Crystal of Amora
by EclipsingFlames
Summary: Centries ago, a power was born. Seven years ago, she went missing. Now, the red rangers are gone and its up to the female rangers to save them, before the war begins. Set during Ninja Storm in AU. Chapter 19 FINALLY UPDATED!
1. Prologue

**The Light Crystal Of Amora**

**By Eclipsing Flames**

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**Prologue**

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**C**enturies ago, long before the power rangers, a great being known as the White Wizard possessed a crystal so powerful it could build universes, using but a fraction of it's power. Fortunately, the White Wizard was a peaceful being and used the crystal to provide peace to others and assisted kindly beings against the rebellion against all peaceful forces. To those whom thrived with evil, the crystal imprisoned them deep within depths of space, never to return as punishment against the cruel acts they convicted.

However as there is darkness to light and evil and to goodness, the White Wizard had an negative, an opposite far stronger than any dark nemesis before him, an evil warlord named King Dimenis. Though equal in their magic's and hand combat, the crystals powers unbalanced the scale between the two combatants. Knowing this, King Dimenis was more fueled to possess the crystal for his own wicked purposes and immediately began searching for the crystal's origin in aspire to create a rival force against the light crystal's power.

King Dimenis succeeded, how he accomplished this to this day is still a mystery. A sword crafted in the very blood of darkness and worn at the evil King's side in all its cursed glory.

The White Wizard felt the poison of the swords power upon it's completion and prepared for the ultimatium. The war of all wars was coming, dawning over the edge of a grand horizon, strattling both the regions of virtuousness and wickedness. Knowing he would not survive this final battle, The White Wizard deviced a plan, inscripting a journal which held great secrets of the crystal and his intensions of it, so that one day a being would rise and harness the crystal's power to do good. At the wake of battle he gave the journal to a mere child on Eltar, whom he felt would grow to be honorable and kind, that child's name was Zordon.

As the powerful wizard had predicted, he did not survive the war, killed by the blade of King Dimenis sword, however upon this, the crystal awaken in a rapid rage and killed the evil King along with his allies, before throwing itself into the black stary pool of space, searching for the one to reclaim its power.

Now is that time...

For not all evil rests easly upon defeat.

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**A/N: **Okay, rather you may have known I was under construction on this story or not, I rewrote and edited chapter 1,3 and 4 for errors and better sentencing. I ran into a lot of problems doing this, so the process really was not as easy as I thought it would be and I nearly got so frustrated I started to delete the whole chapter and call it quits. **No worries!** Problem is fixed and so I will continue. Please, review to let me know you guys are satisfied with the changes. New chapter will be update soon! Thanks!

**EclipsingFlames**


	2. That Paranoid Feeling

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**That Paranoid Feeling **

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The lake was perfect at this time of day, paved with the morning sun and richness of the evolving blue sky. Tommy Oliver loved to head out for a quick jog every morning and cleanse his thoughts with gulps of fresh air and reminise his ranger days that fueled him to only push himself harder in training. It was always more than condtioning. Ever since the 'code red' mission it become a more of duty for him to keep fit than it was pleasure anymore. It's been one year since the red ranger reunion and Tommy couldn't help, but feel that that battle was only the beginning of something much bigger. 

So there wasnt a day he left the house without his zeo morpher.

He stopped at his favorite spot on the lake, a flat stone layed out at the edge of the water. He gazed out on to the motionless water, no one was out at this time of day making things much more peaceful in the park. Slowly, he began to practice his kata, his muscles flexing in the slow elaperate movements till sweat prouced through his shirt in the growing quickness of his moves. A gasp of wind blew pass him, disturbing the still water and the hairs in the back of his neck as they stood erect.

Something was wrong. He looked in all directions, his muscles tense and his hands curled into tight fists as he struck into a battle stance.

Nothing. There was nothing.

It was just that paranoid feeling he inhabitated as a ranger. But had that ever let him down before? Leave it to him to always be on the alert.

_Maybe Jason was right,_ he thought tiredly,_ I do need a vacation._

The rapid change of weather was still surpising, the wind had kicked up patches of dust from the ground and the lakes water collased agitatedly against the rocks around the large slab he stood on, like a storm was starting to brew. He looked up at the sky, it was clear blue not a cloud in sight.

What was going on?

Then his questions were answered. Out of nowhere a black haze poured around him.

"What the- Arggggg!" A pale blue streak of lightning snaked its way up his body, electrifying him, sending burses of fire up and down his spine to the point he felt his eyes would pop out of his head.

Tommy tried to grab for his morpher, but his body was paralized with pain, his body just wouldn't respond to his brains command. He slumped forward onto his knees, the veins pressing out from the skin of his neck and forehead, then it all stopped. The darkness was too overwhelming.

The last thing he saw was two glowing red orbs of eye's bleeding over him.

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** Elsewhere**

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Karone scanned the planet once more, hoping the computer might have over looked something.The console sparked with life, humming as it processed for any results. 

"**Not Found**." The robotic voice spoke. She hit the machince in fustration and sat back in the seat.

"Andros, where are you?" She said softly, her voice heavy with concern for her brother.

One minute Andros was checking for any life signs of this on the deserted planet, the sound of his voice tumbling over the communication systems as he talked, then just like that... nothing! Communications had been cut off, the frequicy lost to the Astro ship and the former red space ranger was no where to be found.

"**Transmission from Mironi.**" D.E.C.A. announced.

"Patch me through, D.E.C.A." Karone stood as the communication screen filled with an image of a formular face. "Kendrix." The smile she had instantly fell as she noticed the sternness in the galatic rangers eyes. "Kendrix, what's wrong?"

"It's Leo. He's missing. The other rangers and I have looked everywhere for him, but it's like he just disappeared off the face of the planet." Kendrix informed her.

"Andros is missing as well and I was just talking to him over the P.A. system. " She sat back down into her seat swuvering her chair facing the commication consoles. "I have a strange feeling something is going on, Kendrix. Is anyone else missing?"

Kendrix shook her head. "No. Leo was supposed to meet the other rangers and I to help rebuild some homes today, but he never showed. He would have never left with informing the rest of us. I thought I would contact you and Andros to see if there were any other 'Code Red' crisis."

Karone nodded. She knew that all rangers referred to the all red ranger battle that took place a little over a year go as 'Code Red', but that clearly wasn't the case for the two red rangers whom were missing. Something else was developing, she could feel it in her blood.

"Kendrix, I'm setting a course to Mironi now, I have feeling something evil is behind this. I want you and Maya to come with me to earth, the guys can stay there in case something else happens."

Kendrix frowned in confusion. "Why earth?"

"There are people there whom I think that can help. I have a feeling that Andros and Leo are not the only one's missing."

Kendrix nodded fully alert. "I'll see you in a few."

"Right. I should be there within a couple of hours. Karone out." The transmission ended and the screen flooded black, showing the stars as the ship sliced through space towards the Mirioni. She was scared for her brother, if anything had happen to Andros... Karone didn't want to think about it knowing only Astronama would resurface, if revenge was the case.

_Hang on, Andros_, she willed. _Just hang on_.

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Please Review! Thanks! 


	3. Rendezvous

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**Rendezvous **

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**_Blue Bay Harbor, California  
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Today was the perfect day to ride. The sun was warm, no clouds in sight. She could sense the most perfect wave riding up as the wind licked the oceans surface of the ocean. Transfixed, she started paddling her arm's, the board rose as the water picked it up and lifted it higher up the waters curves. She stood, her body centered, her arms stretched out at her sides; a perfect set up. She whipped the nose of the board towards the rising tidal wave and as the water collapsed behind her; she bent her knees to tilt to her side and let her hand brush the watery walls. The board cut clean through the water like a hot knife to butter as she swayed the board to the shore. A smile brightened her face as she saw Blake cheering her on.

"Way to go," Tori propped her board under her arm as she walked along Blake's side. "That was awesome."

"Thanks. The swells today are perfect."

"Nah. You're just perfect."

Tori blushed.

"So, um what are you doing here? I thought you, Dustin, and Hunter had a motocross race planned for the day." She said, clearing the wet hair out from her face.

"Yeah, well we did, but I was kind of hoping that maybe you and I could grab some lunch." Blake replied, shyly.

Tori bit her bottom lip trying to keep the smile from spreading over her face.

_Or at least from screaming like in total idiot in front of the guy you have the hots for_, She thought.

"Um sure. That would be great."

"Really?"

"Yeah"

"Cool." Blake grinned. They silently made their way over to where her stuff laid on the beach. Tori picked up her beach towel and began drying out her hair, when a beep sound rang in her backpack. They both looked at one another. " Lothor finally decided to send a new monster." He said, disappointingly.

Tori smiled sadly.

"Yeah." She reached into her bag and pulled out her wind morpher. "What's up?"

Cams' voice flooded out from the morpher.

"I'm not sure myself, but my father says he wants everyone to report back at ranger ops, immediately."

"We're on our way." Blake spoke.

Securing Tori's stuff in a safe location, they both streaked away in their rightful colors.

_Rescue Ops_

"So what new monster has Lother put on our shoulders today?" Dustin inquired.

Hunter, Cam, Tori, Duntin and Blake all made it to Ninja ops in a short amount of time,all dressed in their ninja uniforms, but Shane still had not arrived.

"Where's Shane?" Hunter inquired, looking around.

"That is why I have requested you rangers to report to Ops." The little hamster flipped over to the low table. "Shane has gone missing."

"What?" Everyone, except Cam, exclaimed.

"What would Lother want with Shane?" Blake spoke, crossing his arms over his chess.

"Another evil puppet to toy with." Hunter said, exchanging a glance with his brother.

"It's not Lother this time guys." Cam said. " Someone _else_ took him." He went over to the computer console and the screen showed a map of the world with eleven blinking red lights.

"What do those lights represent?" Tori asked studying the screen.

" The lights represent red rangers whom have all disappeared." Cam explained, pointing to a red dot over Blue Bay Harbar. "This is where Shane disappeared from today."

"Then let's go find him. Do we have any leads to where he might be?" Hunter said, taking over the postion as leader.

Sensei crossed his arms behind his back. "I am afraid you will have to step down from this mission, Hunter."

"What?"

"Just do what your told, Hunter." Cam said smirking. "If my father wants you to stand down, then you should do so without any explanation."

"I'm so happy you feel that way, Cameron, because you have to stand down as well."

Cam face fell. " What! But Dad-"

"You know when Sensei tells you to stand down, Cam, you should do so without any explanation." Hunter shot back with a grin.

Sensei continued.

"Dustin, you're stepping down from this mission also." He looked to Tori his beady eye's holding pride for the girl whom had grown to be like a daughter to him. "Tori, this mission is for you."

Tori looked at him surprised. "Sensei, don't you think I will need just a little help looking for Shane? I mean, I am honored, but even I can't do this alone."

"You won't be alone. Female rangers from the U.S. has recruited you to join them in the search for all missing red rangers of earth." Sensei explained further. "And I think you should indeed join them, Tori. You have learned so much from me at the Wind Ninja Academy, now it is time for you to seek even greater knowledge from the female rangers before you."

Tori smiled.

"Man, all female rangers?" Dustin shook his head. "Hey sensei, does it really just have to be all girls? I mean, I could just go along to make sure Tori gets there safely."

"You mean to see the other female rangers, so you can work your 'Bronze God' act on them." Tori joked.

"That's cold, Tor."

"Tori can make it there perfectly well on her own. A plane ticket and transportation from the airport has already been scheduled for you when you arrive." Sensei informed.

"Well, I guess I should get packing."

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**Blue Harbor Bay Airport**

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"You take care Tori and don't forget about us up there." Hunter said hugging her. 

"I will, Hunter. Don't worry."

"Yeah, and remember to take lot's of pictures," Dustin handed her a camera and gave her a hug. He bit his lip thinking as he rubbed his fingers through his messy dark brown hair. "Once you find Shane, so then I won't feel too guilty."

"Um thanks, Dustin. This will be...useful." Tori looked at the camera and laughed.

Dustin winked.

"And remember; don't let us down. Just because your going on some 'special mission' does not mean you can lack off." Cam spoke in his normal sarcastic tone.

"I'll miss you, too, Cam. Thanks."

Sensei poked his head out from the backpack over Cam's shoulder. Tori could swear she saw his chubby guinea pig cheeks puff out to smile.

"You will do a wonderful job. I am already proud of you and will be when you return. If you shall need any guidance seek out a ranger named Billy. He knows a lot of the rangers that has served and will help you when you seek guidance."

"Thanks for everything, Sensei. I'll miss you" Tori gave a slight bow of her head in respect of her teacher.

"And, I, you Tori." Sensei bowed. Finally, it was Blake's turn. They both stood there for a moment, stealing glances at one another, hoping the other would speak first. Blake broke the silence.

"You know we never had our date..." He wondered off shyly.

Tori blushed. "It was a date?"

The navy rangers eyes grew wider. "Um...I thought it was...I was hoping it would be..." He grinned and melted Tori's heart in the process. "Maybe we can have a real one when you get back?"

"I'd like that very much." She smiled.

"Great."

"Great."

"**Flight 11B now boarding. Flight 11B."**

"That's my flight."

Blake looked down sadly. "Yeah. I guess, you better get going."

"Yeah."

She looked at him with something different in her eyes. Something Blake had wanted to see ever since he had laid eye's on this blonde beauty.

_She wants me to kiss her good bye, _He thought excitedly.

He boldly took her hand and gazed into her eyes then he leaned forward and pressed his lip's against hers. It was the greatest thing either of them had ever felt. All the fire works and everything going off in their heads...including the guy's laughter.

"Alright, Blake-man!" Dustin cheered, clapping.

"That's my brother." Hunter joined in.

"You know not all people appreciate this sort of thing, especially in a public place." Cam whined, though he too held a smile upon his two friends finally revealing their feeling for one another. "And is it just me or have you forgotten that Shane is still missing."

Tori and Blake blushed as they pulled away, their bodies still close and hands still holding the others.

"I should get going before I miss my flight." Tori spoke softly, still dazed from the kiss.

"Yeah." Blake said, a bit dazed him self. "Come back to me, Tori."

His words caught Tori off guard, she looked into those brown eyes of his and saw worry. He really was afraid of losing her. Tori leaned back in and kissed him softly against the lips.

"You could never lose me." She whispered as they hugged. "I'll come back to you."

She looked at everyone one more time and turned to board her plane, but before she did, Tori heard the words Blake whispered gently in the air.

_I love you, too, Blake._

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_**A/N:** Okay, incase you didn't notice that main big thing I did here was change Blue Bay from New Zealand to Cali as it is in the show. Mainly spelling errors corrected in here. Not perfect, but an improvement.

**EclipsingFlames**  



	4. Enigmatical: Part 1

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**Enigmatical: Part 1**

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**Silver ****Guardians**** hand quarters.**  
_9:45 pm._

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Everyone gathered in the conference room, all seated in the black leather chairs around the polished black table; each chatting amongst themselves as they waited for the last two arrivals. Karone had explained that it was a good idea for the female rangers to come together to find the missing leaders of the power rangers' and spoke with Jen to convince Wes' father, Mr. Collin's, to let them stay at the silver guardian facilities until the ship could observe enough power for their trip through space. All the details hadn't been set, but Trini knew it was best for them to search out in space than from earth, since Andros and Leo seemed to be the last who were abducted.

The original yellow ranger kept to herself worried deeply about Jason. She wished she could have done something to prevent this from happening to him and blamed herself for his disappearance. After all, if she had not asked for dinner and a movie on that day that were to spend time together he would not have been on his way to her house, meaning he wouldn't have been captured. Trini shook herself out of her thoughts not realizing Aisha was speaking to her.

"I'm sorry Aisha, What were you saying?"

The second morphin' yellow ranger looked at her predecessor in concern.

"I asked if you were all right?"

Trini mustered a smile.

"Yeah. I just can't wait for Billy to arrive with Kimberly." She replied touching one of the things on her mind.

"Me neither. I still can't believe Billy was able to find her. " Aisha spoke low between the four of them.

"Did he ever say how he was able to locate her?" Tanya inquired from Aisha's right.

Kat, the former pink turbo ranger and Kimberly's successor spoke from Trini's left. "No. Just that he found her and convinced her to help us."

"Sure is a lot to take in one day. First the red rangers start disappearing and now Kim's back." Trini rubbed her heavy eye lids. She felt as if she would never leave the shadows being a ranger has cast over them all, but she was glad her best friend would be there to help her through it.

Kimberly had seemed to disappear from the world every since she sent the infamous letter to Tommy all those years ago. No phone calls. No letters. No contact once or ever to anyone. When Trini had tried to contact her herself her number was disconnected and her letters were returned in the mail. The last time anyone had seen Kim was when she had announced on broadcast television that she was stepping down from gymnastics after winning all round gold in the Pan Globel games. After that…nothing.

When Zordon's death had struck the rangers, the pink ranger was still a no show. Billy had returned to earth from Aquitar and searched for her using the command chambers equipment, but for some odd reason the computers couldn't track her down. Tommy had been affected by her disappearance the most, but like a true leader, he hid his pain from them, though they all knew he was broken inside. It was Jason who came up with the idea to contact Kim's mother. They had found out that Kimberly kept in contact with her, however only gave them contact numbers and address' that didn't exist. The gang was deeply hurt and angered by Kimberly's lack of communication with the team after everything they had all been through together, but soon only could be deeply worried for their petite friend. Soon, the days had stretched in to weeks; weeks in to months without any word or sighting from the pink ranger and the former rangers were forced only but to live with the fact that Kim just simply didn't want to be found.

Now it was seven years later and suddenly Billy informs them that he had found her! And not only that but she was coming to aid them on their mission!

"She'll show." Trini said, confidently.

She exchanged a look with Aisha, whom had grown to be her best friend in Kimberly's place. Aisha slightly shrugged her shoulders giving her a grim smile. _If there is anything I believe in it's that,_ Trini thought with a inaudible sigh.

"What makes you so sure?" Kat wanted to believe her friend but didn't want to get her hopes up neither.

Trini looked at each one of them.

"Because, its Tommy and Jason. She just has too; I can't believe otherwise." They all nodded hoping the same thing, though a small part of them didn't want to get their hopes up again.

The same silver guardian that had escort them to the conference room had returned with a tall blond girl in tow, Trini's heart fell as she had risen up hopes that it was Kim. _This must be the new girl, _she thought.

Trini recalled that there was another female ranger in New Zealand and had found it enlightening how no matter where on earth evil would rise a ranger would rise too. The girl seemed really shy and no more than 17 or 18 years old. She wore blue jeans and a blue t-shirt with white sleeves, her long blond hair falling straight down her back. The girl didn't have a trace of pink or yellow, which Trini found amusing.

Jen stood up to greet her with a warm smile on her face.

"You must be Tori Hanson."

"Yup, That would be me." The girl now identified as Tori, smiled.

"I'm Jen Collins, pink time force ranger." Jen reached out to shake her hand.

"It's a great pleasure to meet you." Tori said politely.

"The pleasure is all mine." Jen directed her to the other awaiting rangers.

"Everyone this is Tori Hanson, blue wind storm ranger from Blue Bay Harbor." Jen pointed to an empty seat between Taylor and Cassie. "You can have a seat over there. We're still waiting for a ranger."

"Okay." Tori wondered over to the empty seat and sat down. She couldn't believe she was here amongst legends, she heard many stories of the rangers once she found out that they weren't just an urban legend. Tori had always wondered what they would be like and had a hard time holding her excitement.

" Hi." She said as she sat down between the shoulder blond woman whom seemed ready take on an army in her plain yellow button down shirt and black slacks, and the hippy/ retro looking Asian in pink.

"Hey," The Asian replied. "My name's Cassie."

"Tori." She smiled.

"So are you here alone or-"

"Yeah, it's just me." Tori noticed the slight frown on Cassie's face and quickly explained. "I'm the only female on the team." That grabbed some other women's attention.

"Wow must be hard, huh?" A woman with short blond hair and a button down pink dress shirt replied.

"I'm Dana Mitchell, by the way. Pink Light Speed Rescue. This is Kelsey." She tilted her head to the left to the sporty mixed girl in a yellow and black tank top.

"Hi" Kelsey spoke reaching over the table to shake her hand. The lady in the yellow to Tori's left hadn't joined in the whole 'meet and greet.'

"It's not hard working with a bunch of guys," Tori continued. "I mean it has its bad times with all that testosterone, but I'm not complaining."

The girls laughed at her light humor. Trini smiled from down the table. She reminds me of Kim, she smiled softly meeting Aisha eye's. Apparently she wasn't the only one to notice the similarities. The same glow and humor.

"When are we going to begin this thing? I've been sitting her for an hour now!" The army woman finally spoke with much anger in her voice that caused Tori to jump.

Jen, who still stood crossed over to the opposite side of table from where Tori, sat and folded her arms over her chess.

"There's still one more ranger on her way." She glanced briefly over at Trini's way. "Let's wait a few more minutes then whether she's here or not we'll get started." Army woman grumbled something under her breath.

"What was that Taylor?"

The army woman named Taylor spoke up.

."I said if this person we're waiting for cared at all about the lives of our friends then she would be here by now!" Trini leaned forward in her seat, her voice low and lathered in brewing hostility.

"She'll be here! Just shut your mouth and wait!"

Everyone jumped at her in her hushed words. Up until then, Trini hadn't really spoken to anyone else except Aisha, Kat, and Tanya, but they all knew she was one of the original power rangers and held great respect for her. No one held more respect for her other than Taylor with her, being the first yellow ranger whom she greatly admired. Still the wait made her anxious to get started and warmheartedness grew thin.

Aisha placed a hand on Trini's shoulder, but Trini shrugged it off.

"To say someone doesn't care is not your place, Taylor. She's one of us and its all of our friends, not just yours." Trini continued staring the other yellow ranger down.

"Trini," Aisha's voice pleaded for her to maintain her anger, knowing the subject of Kim was still a sore subject for her still. The other rangers knew nothing of the pink ranger's disappearance, the manner spoken only between the four veteran rangers only. Trini clenched her fist and swallowed her words down, painfully, in the tightness of her throat.

"I need some air." Trini said softly to no one. Swiftly, she turned to walk out of the room, but stopped in her tracks as she came face to face with her childhood friend.

Trini couldn't help, but to gaze at her with disbelief. She thought maybe her eyes may have been playing tricks on her despite everything she had said, but the feeling subsided as the reality of her presence set in. Before Trini even realized it herself, she had thrown her arms around the shorter girl's neck and hugged her, tears welling in her eyes. She hugged her tightly just as much as fearfully that she would fade away from her arms and go missing again.

Still, among all her emotions, the purest feeling of joy and relief drowned her in glee just to know her best friend was truly there and safe after all these years.

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	5. Enigmatical: Part 2

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**Enigmatical: Part 2 **

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After awhile, the two parted, Trini with tears framing her cheeks and Kim with an even more baffling look of discomfort, when just moments before she wore an emotionless expression on her face. Trini tried to read her, but just taking in her appearance was enough to tell her that she had undergone change.

Kimberly wore a black baby t-shirt that rose a couple of inches above her stomach, her matching jeans hugged her petite lower body. To complete her ensemble, she wore matching boots and had on a ratty black leather jacket that hugged her body perfectly. Her hair was longer now, flowing freely down to the center of her back in her natural curl portraying a more mahogany accent to her once honeycomb hair color; but all in all, though her appearance was different, she was still Kim. Trini eyed the only piece of jewelry hanging on her neck, a single crane. Kimberly's hand instantly clasped the golden piece upon noticing her gaze resting upon it.

Trini met her eye's, dead and impassive. Something was missing and that void tugged at her heart.

_Oh, Kimberly,_ she thought, suddenly wishing she had tried harder to find her or made better attempts to keep in touch with her before she disappeared. Instead of saying those words, she just hung on to her hand, her eyes never wavering from her friend.

"Hey..." Was all she could say.

Kim glanced away, uncomfortably even after so much time had went by since she had last seen her.

" Hey..." She replied just as softly.

" You're really back." Kim could hear tears edge in Trini's voice.

Her fingers lightly squeezed her hand in assurance.

" Yeah, I'm back." The former pink ranger replied.

Kimberly had heard about Tommy and Jason going missing along with all the other leading rangers from Billy. The man had tracked her down in L.A. (no doubt about it, he used a computer) and went to her studio pleading with her to come to Silver Bay to help Trini and the other female rangers on their search for them. At first, Kim had thought this was a joke to get her to step back in everyone's lives, but Billy would never lie to her about something like this. She just wasn't sure if she was ready to make her grand re-appearance. Still, she was needed, and came to the base outside the city, seeing her best friend about to kick the butt of a blond girl whom must have really pissed her off.

Kimberly shook herself free of her thoughts, taking in the many faces that she didn't recognize and the few she did. When her eyes met Aisha, the woman instantly jumping into her arms. Kim chuckled softly trying to maintain her own emotions and the swelling that welled up powerfully within her.

_Control it. I have to control it,_ She urged herself, pulling back a bit from Aisha's arms.

The former yellow ranger blushed, thinking she had hugged her too tightly. Kim offered her a weary smile as no words were spoken between them, just a small dose of needed silence satisfied them both.

Next, it was Kat, whom after a momentshesitation, practically leaped into her arms. Kim was startled by the action, but accepted the greeting, embracing her in return. Pulling away, her predecessor beamed at her with tears caught in her long light eyelashes.

" We didn't know what to think..." She had a look of uneasiness. " I'm really glad you're here."

Kim nodded slowly as she glanced around the room. One of the women had cleared her throat to bring attention to herself and to the business that needed to be tended too.

Trini looked at Jen who like the others waited as patiently as they could in the awkward reunion between the first few women rangers.

" Uh, sorry..." She apologized for the interruption.

She noticed the look of confusion tide over them, but decided to hold the explanation for another time.

Trini looked to Kim.

"You guys, this is Kimberly Hart, the original pink ranger." She pointed to each person who sat around the perimeter of the long wooden conference table.

" That's Cassie and Ashely, the Astro Rangers; Kendrix and Maya, the Galatic Rangers; Dana and Kelsey, Lightspeed Rescue Rangers; Jen and Katie, Time Force; Alyssa and Tayler, Wild Force." Trini paused looking at Taylor.

The yellow ranger's arms were crossed tightly over her chest as she refused to look her way. Trini made a promise with herself to apologize to her later.

"And this right here is Tanya, Aisha's cousin and successor. She carried the yellow Zeo and Turbo powers." Trini said, continuing the introductions.

Tanya smiled and offered her a small wave of greetings.

"And over there is Karone, she took Kendrix's place as the pink Galatic Ranger." Trini continued.

Kimberly looked over at Karone. She had heard the stories about her being brought up to be the princess of evil, Astronama, and knew she was now good again, but she never saw her. She felt a little sympathetic for her, remembering how Tommy and Katherine were also in her position as well, but said nothing.

"And that's Tori Hanson, blue Wind Storm Ranger." The blond girl, who appeared to Kimberly as no more than 18 stood and gave her a slight bow, an even bigger smile than Trini's was on her face as she looked at the true legend in front of her.

"It's a real true honor to meet you. My Sensei has told me so many stories about you and Trini as Power Rangers. I practically studied you both when I trained in the Wind Ninja Academy. Of course, then I thought you were all myths and comic book heros, but once I learned you guys were real... Anyway, I guess you hear that a lot being legends and all." Tori blushed as she realized she had been rambling.

" I mean...I'm just a fan. Of all of you."

Kimberly only stared at her.

"Um, thanks. Tori right?"

The young girl in blue nodded, blushing a deep red. Kim looked at Trini, her expression serious and her eyes harden.

"I was told about a mission to save all ranger leaders. What happened?"

Jen stepped forward.

"These pass few days red rangers have gone missing from earth. There were no traces of who captured them."

"And we're sure that it's not another 'Code Red'?" Kim inquired as she took a seat at the head of the table with Aisha to her right and Trini to her left. Billy had filled her in on all she didn't know.

"They wouldn't leave without informing us." Dana answered with the others nodding in agreement.

"Where's Billy? I thought he was bringing you here?" Kat inquired.

"I'm here." The group turned their attention to the blond man as he stepped into the conference room, a small stack of folders propped under his arm. His sandy blond hair was cut short and his face was roughening with stubble of growing hair that made him look older than he really was. Still, Kat noticed that he was still very well in shape and had made well of himself in his blue jeans and white t-shirt.

"Good afternoon, everyone." Billy greeted kindly, yet tiredly. "Nice to meet you all. I feel I should apologize we had to be introduced in a occasion such as this." He nodded his head to Trini, Tanya, Kat, and Aisha, before he immediately got down to business. "I think I might have located a morphing signal." Everyone slide forward on to the edge of their seats. Billy sat a Cd-Rom disk on the center of the wooden table. Kimberly recognized it as the beach projector he invented back in their high school days, only with more updates. "This is a hologram disk I constructed to give you an idea of where our friends might be located."

An image of the universe projected in a 3D map that hovered above the disk.

"That's incredible!" Tori smiled staring into the orb.

Billy expression told otherwise.

" The red lines you see are our friends morphing energy that is still tapped into their molecular structure." Nine red lines were plotted on the black background, all ends starting off from earth and trailing out in to the open space where the other ends of the power sources faded. "Once you harness the morpin energy it leaves traces of the power within you, but nothing that can defend you with the ability to morph or any other special abilities."

"They're out there some where, defenseless." Taylor spoke, grimly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Where are they now?" Dana asked.

Billy pointed to where the lines cut off. "The signals disappear in the Trion galaxy. There seems to be an interference there blocking the signal to it's location; the same interference that blocked of all alarms of alien activity. "

"Is there anyway to break through?" Trini inquired.

" Nothing I've done so far has proved to have been capable to succeed in that task. I'm still working on new strategies. It's hard to find any leads to go on if all of them have been erased to begin with. Like who we're dealing with and origins of power they possess from data records." He shoved his hands into his pants pockets. "However, there is also another reason the signal could be insubstantial."

"What's the other reason?"

"Well, um it could also mean that the signals is moderate." He tried to break it to them gently, but few seemed to still be lost. " Or dying out would be a better choice of words."

"If the signal is dying out does that mean...?" Billy nodded and Ashely's hand shot up to her mouth. Tears started to rim Maya's eyelids.

Trini fist clenched at her sides and absently looked at Kimberly, who sat there with a stoic expression on her face. Her eye's were hard and distant. Trini mind couldn't help but wonder if this was really Kimberly and what happened to her over the seven long years. Jen's firm and directive voice snipped her back to the issue at hand.

" We have to find them." Jen was saying.

"I understand the situation here, but I am afraid that you can not just head off into space blind-sided." Billy said.

"What do you mean blind sided? We'll just use this map of yours to help us locate the guys, kick whoever butt who kidnapped them and return back to earth." Taylor said as if the situation were not all that complicated. " I mean, that is what we all traveled here for in the first place."

" Affirmative, but I fear that we are in a more difficult condition than what meets the eye." He pulled out a little hand held remote and pointed it to the disk. The image magnified the universe up to the body of galaxies within a few miles from where the red traces of morphin energy disappeared. The change of details was hard to catch at first, but the new image uncovered light blue waves barricading the area in which the red lines faded from sight. "What you see here is responsible for the broken signal. If we break through that barrier we would hopefully receive the rest of it."

"And if we can't?" Tanya questioned.

"Then who knows what lies on the other side," Cassie answered and Billy nodded to confirm.

Kendrix studied the map more theoretically as everyone else sat in silence.

"The Astro ship was kept in perfect condition after the 'code red' mission couldn't we take the ship to a near by galaxy and try to tear through the barricade somehow?"

Billy had considered that option himself.

" Yes, but that energy field is unlike anything I have ever seen before. If you are able to break through, it will seal right back up after you enter, most likely cut off the proper frequency waves in order for your morphers to operate properly."

"Looks like a risk we might have to take." Katie said on the edge of her seat. " We can't just leave the guys there to die."

Jen placed a hand on top of Katie's to clam her down.

" We won't, Katie." She looked at Trini for guidance.

"What can we do, Billy?" Trini inquired looking up at former blue ranger.

Billy inhaled a deep breath.

" The only option I can think of that would be best is Kendrix's proposal. If you all can get close enough to the force field and rip an opening you should have a clear path to where the guys are located."

"Without any powers?" Tori wanted to be clear on that part of the plan. The others already had more experience with this type of situation, but she was still new at this.

"I'm afraid so."

"What about this new adversary? We still know nothing about who he is?" Ashely reminded everyone.

"I think I know where we could get some information on who our enemy is." Everyone turned to Karone as she got up and headed to the projection.

"Planet Oynx." she informed.

"Planet Oynx?" Kendrix questioned, repeating the previous statement made by Kendrixs' successor.

"The planet where I found your quesar saber after..."

Karone trailed off after seeing Cassie lower her head in guilt. Maya had told Karone what had happened to Kendrix and Andros had told her how guilty Cassie still felt even after Kendrix had forgiven her. Kendrix placed her hand over Cassie's squeezing it affectionately with a forgiving smile. Cassie returned it. The others who did not know of the past events only looked on in wonder.

"Carry on, Karone." Trini insisted sensing what ever it was that had caused the former ranger to stop had been forgiven and long forgotten.

"Right." She continued. "Planet Oynx is basically a deserted area, all except for this old saloon. Monsters who have spent life times traveling the universe go there quite often. They should also know of this new villain in our part of the galaxy."

"Well, if thats our lead, I say we do it." Taylor said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"All we need now is a ship." Tanya said.

"I got that covered." Karone assured. "The Astro Mega Ship is an a secure location. A hanger out in the desert at a NASADA base; fully operating and ready to go."

Billy pulled a disk from the back pocket of his jeans and handed it to Karone. " This is a copy of my research that should help you guys along the way. If you get into any affliction, contact me via com and I'll issue another team to assist you right a way." The original blue ranger met Kimberly's eye's, lost and distant; only he was the one who knew what she had endured. Kim stood up and walked out of the conference room, leaving the others staring after her in confusion.

Trini looked up at Billy, frowning in bewilderment of her friend.

"What was that about?" Billy shrugged his shoulders as if he knew nothing was going on.

"I have no idea." His lie convinced the others at the table, but Trini saw through him like glass.

Billy cleared his throat dismissing the yellow rangers pensive gaze.

"It's a couple of hours till sun down, I believe that is the best time for your departure."

"Then it's settled; we leave here at sun down. Everyone get all you need and meet back here at six. " Jen announced. Everyone stood to leave as the meeting came to a close and separated in the halls, quietly talking amongst themselves, about what was to come.

Trini, Aisha, Kat, and Tanya hung back along with Billy. Billy knew they were going to question him about where, how, and when he got a hold to Kimberly after the many years they had been searching for her and expected the worst.

"Alright Billy, what's going on with Kimberly?" Trini immediately questioned, her arms caged over her chest and her twin dark eye's narrowed saying, _'tell me the truth cause I know you know'_. The blue ranger knew that Kim should be the one to give the female rangers the full report on where she had been for the past few years, so he made sure he choose his words carefully.

" Look, I want you all to understand that Kim is not the same person we all remember her as-" Tanya, although knowing Kim from what Aisha, Kat, and Adam told her of the original pink ranger frowned in concern for her. She may not have got to know Kim as well as the others, but being rangers connected them far more than anything else.

"What do you mean? Do you know what happened to her after all these years?" Aisha inquired. "You found her, Billy."

" The only information I can give you is that, I located her just a few miles outside of Los Angeles in a studio apartment. She's been living there for the past couple of months." Billy informed the four women whose eyes all stared at him in shock.

"She's been in L.A.?" Trini questioned, her voice snagging on the words as if the location sounded too simple for her to believe.

"Why didn't she contact us?" Kat inquired.

Billy raised his hand to ease the questions and continued.

" Look, I know you all have questions, that you have the right to have answered, but I'm afraid you'll have to wait and allow her to want to tell you what's been going on." The genius could see the disappointment on their faces but none of them spoke.

"Just answer one question Billy." Aisha began. "Is she okay?"

Billy replaced his hands into the pockets of his jeans. " I wish I had an answer to that."

* * *

Please Review! Thanks! 


	6. When Pain Exists

**Acknowledgements:** Thanks to Rangerfan for pointing out my mistakes. I was so exhausted the night I first posted this chapter that I didn't proof read at all. Also, I know some characters are going to be OOC, I mentioned that in a previous authors note that it would most likely occur cause I'm trying to recall some of the rangers personalities and such as I go. Bear with me, I'm trying, haha. Do you beta read?

To everyone else, please enjoy!

**EclipsingFlames **

* * *

**When Pain Exists **

* * *

The bolt struck him head on; every bit of his body was exploding with pain. He felt his nerves strain and burn till the point he felt like he would once again pass out from the pain. He gritted his teeth, his nails burying in to his palms till bloody half moons were imprinted deep within his flesh. His head reared back, the veins in his neck sprouted under his skin. The lightning sank back, pulling with its heat and bleeding light that caused his pupil to boil on its own. His head fell forward, gravity tiding over his will to even open his eyes. His body could only surrender to his restraints as he went paralyze. , his ears popped and muffled the cries...his own cries.

Every part of his body hummed, screamed, threatened to kill his sanity.

The sound of her heels clicked, sending spikes through his pulsating skull, as she came forward. The midnight blue aura coated her figure in electrical currents that reflected off the walls and burst in the shadows till she was only a breath away from him.

"Why is it so hard to break you?" She cooed. "Why do you try to be strong, when the truth is you are weak? Why fight me?" She ran a hand slowly up his bare muscled chess, a seductive purr coming from her throat and a slow smile forming on her lips.

"You've always been my favorite. I admire everything about you, including this body of yours." She dragged her perfectly painted red nails down his skin creating thin blood trails. He grunted in pain. "But don't think for a second I wouldn't peel this tight skin from your muscles like an orange. Now tell me where is my crystal?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." He said truthfully, blood leaking down the corners of his mouth. Her slender figure pushed up his head and her unnatural red eye's bored into his.

"If there is one thing I hate, its being lied to." Blue streaks ran up and down her arm and her hand began to heat up. "I know you have that crystal. Zordon was no fool; if it's anywhere it's with one of you."

"Listen. I don't know what the hell your talking about! Now just let us go!" He demanded trying to launch his body forward.

A dark gloved hand from behind him pulled him to a haul and a low growl sounded near his ear. The red-eyed woman smiled in amusement.

"Now, now my pet." She spoke gently to her general behind him. "You will have your turn." She looked him over. "Take him back to the chamber." She smiled and turned away from them both her heels clicked rhythmically.

Her general circled him, its red eye's now burning beacons. "You survived today, red ranger, but it's only a matter of time." He released him from his straits and he stumbled forward into his arms, no fight left within him. "Take him to the prisoners chamber."

Two of his footmen stepped forward like white armored phantoms. Each grabbed an arm and dragged his lower body across the floor. The light around him began to dim as the darkness began to grow and pull him in.

* * *

An hour later everyone had piled their stuff into hummers supplied to them by the Silver Guardians headquarters. Billy stood along side Trini to see their departure.

"You'll need this." He said, handing her the hologram disk. "Just incase it might come in handy."

" Thanks Billy." Trini reached up and hugged her childhood friend.

" Yeah, for everything." Tanya agreed, hugging him in turn.

Billy smiled sheepishly, before shaking his head. " I hate that you guys have to do this, but I know it has to be done." He stuffed his empty hand into his pants pocket. " While you all are your mission, the other rangers and I will be preparing here just in case."

" You think earth is in danger?" Kat inquired, her eyebrows arched in concern.

" Isn't it always?" Tanya pointed out, softly.

" It's best we stay precautious. This new nemesis we're facing apparently is strong enough to get the red rangers and judging from our past experiences..." Billy sighed, glancing down at his tennis shoes.

" It's better safe than sorry." Trini said opening the passenger side door to the hummer they were using as transport to the ship. She looked around. " Where's Kimberly?"

Aisha shrugged her shoulders. " I was just wondering the same thing for myself. I thought she might want to ride with us." The sound of a motor bellowed as a petite figure on a black and red motorcycle rode by the parked hummer.

Kimberly stopped in front of the line of hummer vehicles and pulled off her matching black helmet highlighted with a ruby red tribal bird design on the back. The sun's bright glimmer beamed off the smooth, cleaned texture of the helmet and reflected on her leather jacket. Glancing over her shoulder she saw some of the stairs she got from the other former rangers, but she avoided them, putting her interest on the gauges of her bike and her reflection staring back at her through the glass.

" Were you going to depart without saying farewell?" She heard his shoes against the pavement, before she heard his voice.

Kim raised her eyes to the familiar blue one's that stared back her. They were full of words that she knew he wouldn't say and shined even more with fear and melancholy.

" I wouldn't leave this planet without a goodbye from you, Billy."

" You did it once." He murmured in a soft whisper.

" So did you." Kim met his eyes once again, but instead of speaking, he merely nodded. Kim sighed as she adjusted her legs as she straddled the bike between her thighs. " I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that..."

" Neither did I." Billy smiled softly at his childhood friend, now a woman before him, and more special than anyone could possibly know. " Everyone really missed you."

Kim smiled, the feeling still strange to her as it formed on her face.

" I really missed them, too." She looked at one of her rear view mirror, reflected to the hummer were Trini and the others stood along with the other former female rangers she was introduced to as Jen and Karone. " What did you tell them?"

" I told them that when the time came, you would tell them what happened to you. Nothing more. " Kimberly nodded. Guilt and content soured her mind at her indecisiveness on which she should surrender to without contemplating the regrets. Still she said, " Thank you."

" You will tell them, won't you?"

" Eventually. Right now I can't handle anymore; I couldn't handle it when you found me." Her hands clasped on to the frame of her helmet. " But yeah, when the time comes, they'll know."

Billy reached and grasped Kim's hand within his bringing her to look at him.

" They're still your friends, Kim. You, Trini, and I grew up with each other. We were always close, always there for each other. I may not be going on this mission with you, but Trini is and she needs to know what happened if anyone."

Kim could only nod, knowing he was right and for now that had to be good enough for him. Whatever was said now depended on rather Kim was ready to speak the truth or not to the others. A voice cleared and both the former rangers turned to see Jen standing near.

" We're about to make our departure to the ship."

Kim nodded.

" I know the way." Jen turned to make her way to the first hummer in line. Car doors were closed and engines roared in the still city air around them.

" This is it." Kim said looking at Billy. The blue ranger made the first move to embrace her.

" May the power protect you," Billy whispered in Kim's ear.

" And you too, Billy." She said softly back. She placed her helmet back on her head. Balancing the bike between her legs, she used the heel of her boot to raise the kickstand of the motorcycle and started the engine.

The hummers pulled away from the Silver Guardians Headquarters, Kim riding along side the lead hummer. Billy waved and watched them until they could no longer be seen on the street.

Gazing up, the blue sky hung clear above his head, not a single cloud reached to block the sunlight. On any other day it would be a perfect day, but that was only a mask. Billy pulled tight his fist at his side. Something was coming. It had already came, and he, all the rangers needed to be ready.

Determined, Billy made his way to his truck. There was much work to be done.

* * *

**Somewhere outside Angel Grove**

Over all, the ride took two and a half hours, before the lone hanger was spotted in the isolated area of the desert plains. The air was dry and thick with a higher degree of heat than in the city. The sun burned over the wide desert lands, causing the horizon to ripple as if the sky were tiding off the golden brown of the plains.

" That's it," Karone voice poured from the two radio systems attached with each hummer. Up until then the ride had been silent as everyone was drowned in they're own individual thoughts. " We'll take the lead to open the hanger doors."

Upon given the information, Tanya filed in behind the hummer Karone traveled in, while the rest followed suit behind them and all four hummers drove into the darkness of the ship hanger with the lone motorcycle riding along side. Karone closed the hanger doors with a device, sealing everyone inside the large interior of the aircraft hanger.

The screaming of the engines died and everyone climbed out of the car as the hanger gate hummed to a close after them, leaving them in pitch dark.

"Great now what?" Tayler muttered under her breath.

Lights switched on, erupting from all around, until they all laid eyes on the magnificent space ship before them.

The ship was huge, its body taking up most of the hanger above them. The space craft looked harmless on it's part, carefully crafted by a peaceful human race, but still lethal and powerful enough against enemies.

"Ladies, let me introduce you to the new and much improved Astro Mega Ship, Mark 2. The fastest space craft in the galaxy!" Karone spoke as the rest could only marvel at the ship.

"Wow! This is nothing near the first one. " Ashely observed, being one of space rangers in her day of duty.

"I'll say," Cassie agreed.

Kimberly got off her bike, pulling her helmet from over her head. She gazed up at the titan of a ship that towered before her, the light praising its glory. Her eye's never wavered from the ship as she studied its intense beauty.

"Andros, Zhane and I have spent years putting new manufactures to upgrade it from ever small detail from what the astro ship used to be. With this we should reach Oynx within two days." The former princess of evil informed.

"Excellent." Was all Kendrix could say.

"Everyone can gather your gear and follow me."

The hummers were unloaded and the group followed Karone into the opening of the mage ship to the main dock. Inside they were welcomed to the spacious and complex area of the command deck. The instruments glowed with life, the ship breathing a low hum as the computers sparked with operations assigned to them. On the far left and right of the ship were the side consoles with the occasional chair located in front of computer monitors. And in the middle facing a larger monitor screen were to more rows of consoles with a chair or two a lined down the isle.

Everything was impressive.

Tori sat her bag at her feet, still gasping in awe of everything. " This is awesome!" She said softly, admiring the panel leveled near her hip. Katie smiled at the younger girl as she soaked everything in.

" Careful, rookie, don't want to accidentally blow us up or something." She teased lightly, winking at her.

Tori smiled, but still took a few cautious steps away from the equipment in case. She was nervous as it was already with the knowledge that she was the new comer in all this and the last thing she wanted to do was screw up in front of her processors.

The stunning surroundings around her were nothing she had ever seen before, but as soon as she thought it couldn't get anymore surreal, an odd presence entered the room.

Before this Tori had already began feel as if she were dubbed in to the movie 'Lost In Space', but as the robot wobbled in the room, she wondered if maybe she _were_ trapped in some bizarre reality where she was Penny and the android had come to warn her of coming danger.

_And if that's the case, when will Matt LeBlanc make an appearance?_ Tori thought, grinning.

"Alpha!" Ashley and Cassie said along with Kat and Tanya. Those whom knew of the famous line of Alpha's smiled in greetings to the one of the many, even Kimberly as she remembered her first years as a ranger and the inquiring robot, who was so eager to learn the human nature.

"Welcome rangers, it is a pleasure to have you rangers aboard." His voice sounded as one of a ten year old, but the android held far more knowledge than anyone who could live ten life times. " I am Alpha 10."

"You know one of these days we have got to tag these guys." Cassie murmured to Maya, who giggled.

"What is it?" Tayler inquired, frowning at it as if it were a disease. Along with her, her fellow wild force ranger, the time force rangers, light speed rangers, and the single wind ninja ranger seemed to be asking the same thing, having to be the only one's whom never worked with any of the Alpha robots before.

"The Alpha's have been friends of the ranger's, since Kim and I were on duty. Of course back then we had Alpha 5." Trini grinned winking at Kim.

Only Kim wasn't playing her any mind.

Trini looked at the pink ranger more intensely, observing the way her body propped against a far console in solitude. Kim's eye's slipped closed, inhale and exhaling in a way that Trini knew better than anyone was meditative. Something changed in her face, it was slight to the naked eye, but growing up Trini not only trained in martial arts physically, but intellectually as well. Her grandfather always taught her to study her opponent, sought out their thoughts and developed awareness. If the opponent was thinking, they were not concentrated on the present moment leaving them vulnerable for attack.

Kimberly was vulnerable.

It was a glimmer across her face that changed so shiftily, Trini questioned if she ever really saw it at all. One thing Trini knew just by Kimberly not engaging in something social when she was queen of socializing was enough to state that this wasn't the same Kimberly from high school.

Struggling on what she should do with that information, Trini knew she had opened herself to vulnerability of having her emotions exposed to everyone else, but contemplating the matter of the loner ranger.

_What happened to you?_ Trini kept pondering, but for now Trini decided to get to know her new teammates.

"... Alpha is also the way I was able to locate all your current locations too. She was programmed to know all about the rangers past history just like every Alpha robot ever created." Karone was saying.

Alpha walked over to Tayler.

"Tayler Earheart, yellow wild force ranger for a year and eleven months." Tayler nodded her head in approval. Alyssa noticed how Tayler straighten up, rising her chin pleased of herself if not the announcement.

All the wild force rangers knew that Tayler took great pride being the most experienced ranger in their team. Sometimes to much pride. Tayler did, after all, create a rulebook to keep them all organized to her assumptions on what a ranger should be and was considered a legend by younger air force pilots in the military.

"If Dustin were here he would be, so soaked to see this." The rookie exclaimed lowering herself to get a better look at Alpha 10. "Hi!"

"Hello, Tori!" Alpha said in chipper tone, her arms waved at his sides.

"You know me?"

"When the Ninja storm rangers surfaced, I took great liberty to monitor your progress." Alpha informed the blue ninja storm ranger. Tori smirked and stood back up.

"Monitor?"

"Alpha doesn't monitor anything that doesn't need to be. Andros just figured after the 'code red' mission that it would be a good idea to keep track of all the rangers, just incase of another emergency." Karone said.

"Does that mean Alpha might have caught the disappearances of the red rangers?" Dana inquired.

Karone shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Somehow our systems were jammed during their capture. We didn't know they were gone until they were out of this galaxies system."

"Well, that's just great." Kelsey grumbled from between Katie and Jen.

"We need to get going. Each second we waste standing around could mean the very lives of our friends." Kimberly spoke up bring all to her attention. Trini caught the edge in her voice, but Karone only nodded and took position behind the flight controls.

The group all saw through a view screen the light the ship sent off in the dark hanger as the mage ship hovered above the ground. Tori looked back at Karone with a frown on her face.

"Uh, we're in a hanger..."

Sunlight broke through into the dark hanger as the roof cut in two halves, pulling away from one another for the ship to fly out. Tori just stared at the screen, a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Oh."

The astro mega ship ascended smoothly into the air, the ground beneath them shrinking till the point all they saw was the radiating light of the earths atmosphere and the billions of burning stars around them. Karone plugged in the coordinates in to the computer and the ship turned starboard. Before Tori knew it, the stars were blurring out of focus on either side of them.

* * *

As time wore on, the nighttime hour had already fallen upon earth, but by then they were thousands of miles away from the bright blue planet. Tori couldn't sleep one wink. She spent the entire time on the ship exploring the many rooms within it and getting to know the other girl's; at least those who were willing to converse. Most of the others were stationed in the gym retraining them selves for whatever may come; others took coffee breaks in the lunchroom. Tori had to admit; Alyssa made the most delicious iced mocha's and grilled chicken sandwiches that just melted in your mouth upon your first bite.

_"I cook when I have a lot on my mind sometimes." _Alyssa had said, already launching herself to tidy up the kitchen wear she had used to prepare the meals.

After retracing her steps back to her quarters, she shared along with Kelsey and Dana; Tori made a detour back to the gym to get some practice in. Everyone had already made a silent decision to busy themselves to stop the anxiety from consuming themselves, which was why no was asleep at the late hour it was. Tori stepped in to the gym, instantly overwhelmed with the amazing activity going on. She had to admit she was a bit intimidated by the veteran rangers fighting skills as she stepped onto the blue mats that padded the wide floors. Tayler and Katie seemed to draw attention of some with their kick-boxing techniques and not to mention Katie's unbelievable strength as she more than once picked up Tayler and lightly tossed her across the floor unharmed; an action that fueled Tayler to attack harder. There was no defeat either woman was ready to admit to. In the middle of the room, Trini lead others in meditation and slow and intense kung fu stimulations.

Tori considered joining them when she spotted Kimberly doing some difficult scratches in a corner away from everyone else. The movements were so fluent and graceful no one other a high expertise in callisthenic's could mimic her skill. Tori couldn't explain the instant pull to the pink ranger, something just captured her interest beyond the art of the pink rangers abilities she demonstrated, but instead of questioning it, she continued coming forward with a beaming smile on her face in hopes to build a friendship with her.

"Hi, remember me? The person who went all fanatic on you?" She said in light humor. Kim didn't respond. Tori decided to just ask. "Um, is it okay if I work out with you?"

Kim looked up from her position on the mat and slowly risen to stand up to her petite height.

"You should ask one of the others. I was just on my way out." She grabbed a medium sized towel that was at her side.

"Well, okay. Maybe next..." Kim was already heading out the gym, before she could finish. "Time." Tori said the last part softly as she watched her go. She frowned watching the ranger disappear out the door.

" I guess I should have respected her space." She said quietly to herself, her mind already dismissing the confrontation.

Tori looked around at the others whom were trading off in sparring. Jen and Trini were now on the center floor attracting everyone one's attention. Trini with her kung fu skills and Jen with her kickboxing and karate techniques, both fighters with inclusive ranger experience on top of that. They both seemed equally in match, but the contrast between the two was undeniable.

Trini was more patient in her luring Jen in rather than to take the offense, and when she saw even the smallest sighs of Jen lacking defense, she struck with such ferocity and power in just a single blow. With efficient and deceptive footwork, joint locks, throwing techniques, Trini was unstoppable, but even she had her struggles with Jen.

Unlike Trini, Jen was unbelievably quick on her feet, attacking with not only fierce, but with whooping skill with long distance attacks of kicks and punches that could break a melon in half just by catching the force of the air around the blows. The time force ranger definitely wasn't shy about attacking head on and unleashing everything without once holding back.

Tori looked on beyond out astonish by the two.

"Their amazing, huh?" Kendrix spoke softly to her afraid of throwing either one of the two fighters concentration.

"Much more than that." Tori agreed, tearing her eyes away to greet the blonds.

"Tori, right? I'm Kendrix."

"Yeah, I remember; it's great to meet you. Alpha gave me a crash course on the ranger history we have on board the ship's computer. You're the pink galactic ranger, right?"

"Reporting for duty." Kendrix said, jokingly. "You must be feeling lost with everything that's been happening, so fast."

The blue ninja storm ranger had to agree with that. Within the last 12 hours, Shane had gone missing, she had been called to an all-female-ranger conference meeting, learned that a new threat had kidnapped every past and current red ranger, and gone on a expedition out through space. And on top of all that, Blake had kissed her! Tori knew there would be much more ahead of her.

"I can absolutely agree with that, that's for sure." She finally answered.

"What's your friend's name? Your leader."

" He's name is Shane. He's the red ninja ranger, but I guess, none of us really assumed he was the leader of the team, you know? We were just a team. Just all friends."

Kendrix smiled in an understanding only those whom were rangers could ever have.

" Friends with the weight of the world on your shoulders." The two watched as Trini gained the momentum of the fight by spinning around the pink time force ranger and crouching low to let loose as spinning back kick on her legs. The move was so quick and unpredictable; it caused some to gasp in surprise. Jen was sent on her back panting in exhaustion unable to go on anymore.

All those present to see the event clapped at a match well done. Trini helped, the smiling, but very enervated Jen up to her feet.

" You got me." Jen gulped at the air as she leaned forward to brace her hips in between her hands. Her body was bronze as if over heated and slick with sweat raining over her sports bra and sweats.

"You were as exhausted as I was, either of us could have had the other." Trini always being the modest one smiled patting the future born ranger on her back gently. The fact that Trini wasn't the less bit drowned in her own perspire didn't go unnoticed by anyone. She looked as though she had just stepped out from a light walk around the park than recovering from an intense sparring match.

Jen could only gasp in amazement of her. The original rangers were not just viewed as legends for nothing, Trini very much stated that in bold, neon lettering for everyone to read.

_A challenge against Kimberly must be something incredible to witness or endure as well,_ Jen thought growing thirsty for knowledge as well as physically drained and craving something cold to tame her burning body heat. The air was thick and dry on her tongue.

"You both can say whatever you want too. All I know is that you wont find me being next in line to take you two on." Kelsey said, handing the two towels to whip the beads of sweat from their faces.

"Same for me too." Ashley grinned coming closer to the three. "But we all need to train and prepare ourselves none the less. We have a mission."

The words the yellow astro ranger said burned heavily in their minds, flooding them with a whole new form of adrenaline to keep them going for countless hours of labor. And that just what they did till fatigue drained them and sent them crawling to their rooms.

That night even thoughts were too frail from exhaustion to form, but the weight of what lied ahead sank their hearts with tears and determination.

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**Authors Note:**

Sorry about the long wait everyone, but it took me awhile to rewrite this chapter and learn how to operate the editing and posting on by myself. I tackled this thing for well over a week and found out only a couple of days ago I was using the wrong web browser and had to download Netscape. I nearly threw my computer at the nearest wall several times. And my Beta- reader refused to help since I mad the mistake of saying I wanted to learn. Seriously, he was no help, but whatever, this is done and posted and I now have full authority over my work. Still excuse any and all mistakes read and please review, question, and leave your flames out.

Also, I have started my second story, 'It Was Supposed To Be Forever' recently. It is another female team up story taken to a new extent. It's darker than this one and its very new writing that I wanted to try out after reading countless books and discovering new writing techniques from them. It's a strange hobby of mine.

Again, everyone please enjoy and leave your comments. I reply to ALL of them if contacts to you are available.

Thanks!

**EclipsingFlames**


	7. Restless

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_**Restless**

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_**Amora Journal**_

_**Sapbeth Year (Eltarian years, before the war)**_

_**Recorded by the white wizard**_

_**Translated by Alpha 5**_

_All my life I knew this time would come... _

_My life was long lived, I know, but these people I have had the liberty to call my friends, do not deserve the affliction that lies a head. These people of different worlds with the same morals have no idea what is to come. _

_At this very moment, I feel him rising. The evil that wants the Crystal of Amora for his own malicious purposes is awakening and plotting for rebellion. This is a burden I carry. This crystal, that was gifted to me when I was a small child; tells me stories...prophecies. I am compelled to its deeds, because they keep a virtue to many lives. I am a vessel in ways no one will ever be able to understand, but it is something that must be done. I hold no regrets for bearing this marvelous power. Even if making such sacrifices will mean my life, I know it is my destiny that must be fulfilled. _

_That is inevitable. _

_ I have learned each day is cherishing every beautiful supplement a day can bring, but what I will miss most of living is looking up at the three moons webbed in clutters of stars. So much mystery and life contained within each one, even I could never explore. _

_Time and time again, I find myself looking up to those stars, listening to the distant whispers of their wisdom, as I would do every other fabric of life around me. It is the only time I allow myself to not be accompanied by anyone other than these dazzling lights, but fate bends us down many paths._

_ This one child meets with me in silence each night, blanketed in eminence I have, yet, to see in anyone more fitting. Everything about him burns my vision, my heart and soul in a way that I wonder if this could be what a parent would feel for his newborn. It's unexplainable. _

_He's first sign to the prophecy. _

_ The crystal, i bear, told me his destiny. The reason I welcome him so naturally. This boy was to birth the idea of something profound, tranquilizing, an essence of great power and morality of heart that would one day rise to end evils reign. _

_All I will leave behind continues with him. _

_My death will be anything other than pleasant, but let it come; death is only the begining. With this lad, whom calls himself, Zordon Liyuon Klan of Eltar, that there will be hope when I am gone._

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"_Hey lady, are you okay?" The little girl walked over to her with her ball in hand and her baby doll face scrunched into a curious yet worried expression. _

_She tilted against the nearest wall, dazed and lost. What was happening to her? _

_Fast forward_

_A bright light exploded._

_Fast Forward_

_The girl's ball dropped and both their screams filled the air._

_Fast forward._

_The girl lied unmoving on the ground. No not the girl, but Tommy. _

"_No!" She screamed. Then there was nothing..._

Kimberly shot up from her bed, soaked in sweat, trying to swallow down the thicken air in to her lungs. Her whole body burned, ached, quivered. Her thoughts numbed her senses and heighten her emotions to where she nearly became frantic with fear and bewilderment.

_ Where am I?_

Her brain wrecked at the odd surroundings. A room... walls... beds? These things were so strange to her now.

Unnatural.

Then suddenly the images resurface.

The little girl with the ball.

Tommy.

Kim looked around desperately to find... nothing. It was just a dream. _Only a dream,_ she thought, still shaking within the thin gray sheets of her bunk. Her stomach clenched in a way that made her mouth water with a sour taste.

She needed to get out. Needed air before she heaved, but the ship could deliver her no remedy for these things she needed.

Kim glanced around, the silence echoing in a way that begun to make her sore in torment. No one else was awake around her, Trini slept silently right across the way from her, and Aisha just the same on the top bunk they shared.

As stealthy as she knew to move, she placed her feet on the carpet, tossing back the damp and disarrayed covers off her body with trembling hands. The floor seemed to rush up at her in a violent attempt to attack her. Kim caught her head into her hands. The veins within her head pulsated against her fingers through burning, slick skin.

_Escape. Kim became_ cogitate on the idea till her brain urged her body to take action. She didn't bother to change her cloths, a cotton white tank and grey shorts would do her just fine for now.

The soft hiss of the door was the only sound that echoed through the hall of the dormitory floor of the ship, beyond that on a separate floor, the ships engines were muted along the corridor. That didn't stop Kim from picking out its steady buzz in the air. She felt it just as easily.

Everything was intensified.

She hurried to the elevator the ship contained and ascended to the main level of the mega ship. Everyone was asleep, so nothing stopped her from heading straight towards the gym. Straight to her release and desire to run the images from her mind.

* * *

His eyes swam into focus, the darkness causing his eyes to strain in its sockets. His body sagged in its upright position, still suffering from its continuous dull pains from his recent torture. The cold wall burned his back and the sharp, jagged rings around his wrists cuffed bit in to the sensitive skin of wrist where blood spouted in pin points beneath his palms. A deep breath alone was enough to make him want to heave again and spill whatever food was left in his stomach, but thankfully, he just started coughing. 

"Hey, you okay?" It was Jason. He was chained next to him in no better condition as the rest of them.

"I'm not dead," Tommy's mouth tasted like an ashtray, but he managed to speak. "As of yet anyway."

"Hang in there, bro." Jason struggled in his cuffs. Their raised arms on either side of their heads made it impossible for either one of them to look at the other nor did the rigid restraints that gave little to no slack for their bodies to move.

"I don't think trying to break metal with your bare wrists is going to help us." Eric commented, his head relaxed against his bare arm. The thought of raising it making his stomach turn in knots. "Not unless you want to sport a new fashion of bleeding wrists."

" We can't give up, so if you have a better idea..." Jason inquired, becoming more bothered as the rest of them of being immobile.

"Be my guest." The quantum ranger replied, nonchalant.

Jason flexed his wrist, the expansion doing nothing but causing the cuffs to cut in to his skin a bit deeper. The ability to not do anything was driving him mad, but the attempt to do anything while restrained was obviously pointless. Jason signed, the sudden flee of what little energy he had leaving him worn out.

"My head is killing me." TJ announced when no one else had spoken. "Anymore electro shocks and it'll explode."

" We got to get out of here," Andros said.

"Does anyone have a clue to where we are?" Shane inquired them again, hoping the answer would change.

"No one." Wes groaned, winching from the pain from his own split wrists and battered body. " I don't understand. None of us know about this crystal, why would she think we have something to do with... whatever it is?"

"I don't know, but something tells me, if she wants this crystal, it's definitely means some serious danger ahead." Carter said, his chess throbbing with each word he spoke. "Which makes this now a ranger problem. We're involved now no matter what."

"Agreed." Jason said. " Everyone think hard, no one has ever heard of this crystal?"

The gathered red rangers shook their heads in reply.

"Then not one of us has it nor know where it's located."

"And if none of us has it, then we're as good as dead." Shane reminded everyone. "If she doesn't get that crystal, then she's going to get tired with us and kill us. One by one."

"If we did know where to find the crystal, there is no way we need her getting her hands on it." Leo pointed out. "Who knows what that thing could do, if she's craving it that badly."

"We can't give up hope." Tommy blocked the pain in his body and concentrated on his 'team'. "We all have to hang on, we can't forget that there is other rangers out there to find us."

"I'm positive they know we're missing by now. " Cole spoke, gently from his side. " I was going to meet up with Danny and Max the day we were taken, they have to know I wouldn't take off without telling them first."

"Tommy and Cole are right; the other rangers will find us." Jason spoke strongly, carrying the role of the second in command. "Maybe even find out something about that crystal, too."

"How are the others supposed to find us again?" Shane inquired, trying to keep his panic down in front of the past leaders.

" I always keep my zeo morpher with me as an old habit, I lost it somewhere, when those foot soldiers first dragged me in here. From what I remember from Zordon, our morphers send out a signal, energy pulses, that can be picked up with the right technology and equipment. Hopefully, it will be enough for the others to track us." Tommy glanced up at his bare wrist, his head feeling heavy.

"Billy." Jason said picking up what Tommy was thinking.

"Who else could pull off something like that?" Tommy thought of the blue genius working away in his lab at NASADA where he currently worked. "I'm betting he'll be able to track that signal in no time flat, then we'll be rescued." He said confidently.

"And if that doesn't help, Karone might be able to contact someone for assistance." Andros agreed thinking of his sister he left behind on the Astro ship.

"I'm sure your right," Wes piped up. " The other rangers will find us."

"I know I am, Wes." Tommy's voice began stronger with the thought. " I have to have faith. We all do."

* * *

"Engine status?" 

"100 Percent."

"Shields?"

"100 Percent."

"Artilleries?"

"Everything is one hundred percent in order." Kendrix scanned down the list one more time. "Andros kept the ship in order since 'code red' as far as I'm concerned."

Karone took the clipboard of notes out of Kendrix's hands to review as she plugged in some coordinates into the computer as the ship sailed out into space. The frenetic pace to get everything together became more clear to Kendrix that something deeper bothered the former princess of evil than she was willing to admit.

"Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Karone inquired, nonchalant, as she ran through the ship logs for a third time, since Kendrix had handed it to her.

"'Cause it's okay not to be, Karone."

Karone said nothing, refusing to meet the galatic ranger's eyes.

"Do you think the megaship is functional enough to get us to Oynx?" Kendrix took the seat next to her in front of the side console.

"Uh huh."

"Karone?" She grabbed the former princess of evils hand in hers, so she would turn to look at her. Kendrix couldn't help, but noticed how Karone looked much younger than she was with her baby face dotted with a light brush of freckles. "Slow down before you work yourself in to a heart attack."

"Yeah, okay." Karone murmured, combing her slender fingers through her shoulder length blond hair. "I just keep thinking about Andros that's all, how I should have been there to help him. I mean, he was talking to me over the communication system, telling me these silly jokes and stories." Her hand wrapped around a silver locket that hung around her neck. "Then, he voice stopped coming through... I should have reacted then. I could have got to him, saved him." 

"But that doesn't make this your fault, Karone. Our friends were taken before anyone could help. You said it yourself the ship couldn't detect their disappearance till they were gone." Kendrix assured.

"I know. I just can't help thinking that maybe...maybe Andros and I were never meant to be a real family again."

"What do you mean?"

"When I was seven, I was kidnapped by Darkonda." Her heart still ached thinking about the only being that had been like a father to her, always on her side rather good or bad. "And now...Now it's like it's happening all over again. Andros and I are separated by who knows!" She paused, before saying, "I just want my big brother back. If I lost him," She searched for words. "I just don't I want be alone."

Tears crawled their way down Karone cheeks connecting the light brown specks of freckles in wavy wet lines.

"Andros is strong." Kendrix reached and held her hands within her own. "I know without a doubt that whatever he is going through right now, he's fighting for you. We're going to get him back. We'll get all of them back."

She sniffed offering the pink ranger a small smile of appreciation. Kendrix leaned forward and drew her in to a hug, needing it as much as her friend.

"Thanks, Kendrix."

" You don't have to thank me," She stood to leave and stopped. " Andros is not the only family you have anymore."

Karones smile broaden, enlightening her face. When Kendrix left out of the control room, she turned to the side window, the endless black space stretched as far as the eye could see.

"No matter what, I won't stop looking." She swore softly. " It's my turn to find you."

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**Authors Note:**

Rewriting is taking a lot out of me, but this chapter is finally done, and I'm starting on the next one ASAP. This didn't turn out as well as I would have liked, but it's something. I forgot to point out that everything after No Business Like Snow Business or what I like to call 'my most hated episodes of Power Rangers' in the Zeo season is AU. Trini went in Kimberly's place in the Turbo Movie, back to Angel Grove, with Jason. Again, characters may be a bit OOC, because I either want them to be for this story or I just can't seem to grasp on to a character's personality correctly, but I'm TRYING, so bear with me. Thanks for reading everybody! Review!

** EclipsingFlames **

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	8. Pressing Engagement

**A/N:** Just to clear up any confusion, this chapter takes place where chapter 7 left off. This story is AU from then on after 'No Business Like Snow Business' when Kimberly sends a letter to break up with Tommy, thanks to the cleverness of the show writers. Yes, I'm being sarcastic.

Please also excuse any spell or grammer error I'm sure you're sure to see. I'm still beta readerless and hanging on to consciousness at the moment. Happy Reading! And Reviewing hint hint

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**Pressing Engagement **

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" So what's the status? How much longer till we reach this mutant infested planet?" Tayler inquired once Kendrix entered the lunch room. 

The once pink galatic ranger took a seat between Tayler and Ashely. Alyssa handed her a plate of steaming hot eggs and pancakes smuthered in butter and syrup with a mug of coffee to wash it down. Tayler lifted an eyebrow at her. " Alyssa take a break will you?"

"I will once everyone has had their breakfest." Alyssa fixed another set of plates. Then said catching subdue tone in her partner's voice. "I don't mind doing this, Tayler. It gives me something useful to do like on Animaria."

Tayler nodded trying not to be irritated by the idea that Alyssa was once again throwing herself at work. The white ranger was right, being nurturing was something Alyssa was programed to do, it was who she was. However, the anxious driven white ranger's actions was beginning to drive her mad. Everyone was making her crazy. She was making her own self crazy! The way she couldn't sleep a wink despite the hard labor she willed herself in to with an entire night of training and sparring (mostly against the far most muscle bound woman in the world). Anyone that knew her well enough, knew sparring was just not something she did. Tayler much prefered a daily news paper any day. Sparring was Alyssa's thing; Tayler observed, amused and thrilled that a woman was putting a man in their place. Women aren't stong? Pssh. If a man could be a woman for one day they would crave to be put out of their misery. Pms, giving birth,...heels! That was enough to kill a man. Not that Max, Danny, Cole, and especially, Merrick would ever question otherwise.

All and all, fustration and confusion littered Tayler's brain without ease, and that was just enough to set her off in irritation.

" By tomorrow, we should be right outside the planet's atmosphere." Kendrix answered, pushing up the frame of her glasses up the bridge of her nose. 

" Which means its a good time to start taking shifts on the main deck for any signs of attack. Mutants around the universe travel to Oynx, we have to keep on high alert." Ashley said thinking that exact same thing Karone was thinking herself.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

" We should also configure a plan." Trini added. " We don't just want to walk right in."

"I agree," Alyssa spoke. "We have a lot ahead of us and we need to be prepared."

"How is Karone doing?" Ashely looked at Kendrix in the moment of silence with concern in her eyes.

" Just as worried as the rest of us." Kendrix gave her small smile. She looked down at the rising steam that came off her eggs and poked it with a fork. " I can't imagine what it must be like for those two. They're always getting seperated and distressed about the others life."

"And to think they've been going through this same thing all their lives." Ashely agreed, remembering how Andros was so determined to find his long lost sister after years of searching and never giving up hope.

A pang of pain shot through her as the stripped haired red ranger's face welled up in her mind, never leaving, breathing within her in twists of agony. That was all she could think of since his disappearance. That Andros was somewhere in pain. Her perfectly manicured nails dug deep into the palms of her hands as her heart began to beat hollow within her. It was well over a year since she last seen him, Andros' expeditions for his home world only accompanied him with precious time to be with his sister that Ashley was gladly willing to give to him. She loved him more than anything and respected that he longed to rebuild a relationship with Karone, before making an engagement with her.

An engagment.

Those had been Andros exact words before he left Earth with his sister just one years ago. A smile spread shakenly over Ashley's face. _Will we still have that Andros? Are you still fighting for us? Do you know I'm fighting for you?_

Trini had been listening to everyone from the other side of the table, observing each of them, thoughtfully. The antsy and far too focused Tayler with eyes burning through her days old news paper, Alyssa jumping from one task to another, Kendrix poking idly at her food, and Ashley staring at her clanched fist, shaken and lips weavering from a distant smile.

Trini sighed, heavy hearteningly. Till their friends were all back, safe and sound, the next few days would be hard on everyone.

Images of Jason flashed into her mind and she smiled absently as she remembered the feeling of his arms wrapped around her and the whispers of his voice in her ear

_Please be okay, Jase_, she wished, silently.

Trini raised her eyes to the door as Kimberly stepped in. Trini wish she knew what was going on with her. Trini and Aisha had woken up that morning to see Kim already in the gym attacking the punching bag with far more fierce than Trini could ever remember Kim having. The fact Kimberly was at the punching bag at all, baffled her. Then again, they were all over the edge these days.

Kim quietly took the empty seat between herself and Kendrix. "How was the training? You were at it for quite awhile." Trini said, handing her a plate to serve herself.

Kim nodded. " Yeah, I couldn't sleep."

"Tell me about it. All I could think about last night were the guys. I just hope their okay." Kat said entering the dining room to stumble upon their conversation. Maya and Tori were close on her heels.

"We just have to keep hope that they're okay." Maya spoke up from the end of the table. No one spoke, falling back into their own individual thoughts.

Tori glanced around at the table, before lowering her eyes in contemplation. To be completely honest with herself, she was actually starting to miss the guys more and more as the hours ticked by. It was the first time she ever really been this far from home (Literally!) and them. She missed the cool swells of the water under her board and the looks on the surfer guys faces when she got better tides than them. She missed Cam's witty attitudes and genius, sensai's wise little beady eyes and guidence, and Hunter's calming demeanor. She even missed Dustin's eccentric personality. Most of all she missed Blake. Tori was still reeling from that kiss and hoped that she would live through whatever there was to come to make it back to him and figure out where their relationship would go from there.

Then there was Shane.

He was out there somewhere probably hurt...or worse. The thought made her cringe to even consider the fact that her friend could be dead. Shane had always been strong whenever the team needed someone to be, now she had to be strong enough for him. She had to save him. Shane would make it through whatever he was going through, that was one thing Tori knew for sure.

One thing she had to believe.

"Rangers," Tori snapped to attention as a female computerized voice flooded the room. Tori exchanged looks with some of the girls, who also looked for the source of the booming voice. "Transmission recieved from KO-35."

"That's DECA. The ship's main frame computer." Cassie quickly filled in those who were new to the astro mega ship. She had came walking by when the voice announced itself. "We're on our way, DECA."

Cassie signaled everyone to follow her out through the corrindors to the main deck where the other rangers regrouped. The wide window that once showed the disfigurement of stars, now showed a man no older than his mid-twenties with platinum blond hair and cool blue eyes that added to his handsome features.

"Zhane!" Cassie and Ashely both said at the same time.

"Hello, everyone." Zhane spoke through the screen from KO-35.

"It's good to see your okay." Karone spoke.

"You too." He grinned and then turning serious he said, "Billy contacted me from earth and told me you all were on your way to planet Oynx."

Karone nodded in confirmation. "We figured that it was the only way to get any lead on whom we were up against."

"Good idea, but there is a reason why I'm contacting you. I've been monitoring the magnetic field from here using the information Billy transmitted to me. That field is getting some major activity. Way more than before in the pass few hours." Zhane informed everyone.

"What does that mean?" Alyssa inquired.

"We don't know for sure, yet, but the rest of the rangers on earth have been keeping a sharp eye out for anything to happen." He looked down. "No one has ever seen such energy like this before. I'm really worried about you guys going on this mission." He said, more pointly to Karone.

Karone gave him a soft reasuring smile. " You know this is something we have to do, Zhane. I don't like the idea of our forces being split up and having to be powerless, but we have no other choice."

" Karone's right, we can't leave earth defenseless. From the amount of energy that barrier is feeding off, we may not get another chance breaking in to it." Katie spoke coming to Karone's side. "We have to take that chance."

Zhane nodded.

" Believe me, I know the situation as well as every other remaining ranger, but with some of you bearing unstable powers you guys won't last that long up against whom ever is on the other side of the field." He inhaled a deep breath and produced a lop sided grin that brighten his handsome face, if only slightly. " That's what I wanted to taIk with you about. I spoke with Elder Heida, he came up with a plan. If you all succeed, then you'll at least be more equipt than you are now."

" Elder Heida?" Jen inquired, standing off to the side.

"Elder Heida pretty much governs KO-35. He looks over our people and makes sure there is order." Karone explained.

"Like a president." Tori said, nodding in understanding.

" After you make it back from Oynx, set a course for KO-35 and he'll give you all the details." Zhane continued saying." This could be the best defense you'll get for your assignment." 

Tayler crossed her arms over her chest with a look of deteremination. "The best defense against whatever is behind those walls? I say we go for it."

"I agree." Alyssa said from her teammates side. Others nodded in agreement.

"Then that settles it." Karone placed her palms flat against the console in front of her. "I'll contact you as soon as we leave Oynx. We should be within its atmosphere within the next day and reach KO-35 within a day after that."

" Understood." Zhane glanced behind him and another voice of a male was heard through the transmission. The once silver ranger looked back at his awaiting fellow rangers through the screen. " Look, I got to go. All of you be careful and look out for one another. Remember, there is a lot of mutents out there that would love to get their hands on a power ranger, especially on planet Oynx." He warned. " Be safe."

"We will." Zhane gave her a side ways grin that Karone loved and winked at her, then the transmission ended. The screen now showed the blur of stars that breezed pass them as the ship missled through space.

"Okay, well at least we now have some good news." Aisha broke the silnce. "We now have more defences."

"Couldn't have come at a better time." Dana agreed.

" We can't be too dependent on whatever Zhane has waiting for us on KO-35." Tanya held up her hands. "We don't even know what this new protection is and we still have a lot more to figure out other than the amount of power we have."

"Like a plan on how we make it in and out of Oynx." Karone pointed out. "The last time I've been there was when I went to get back Kendrix's galaxy sabor dressed as Astronama. I bearly got away last time and I know they'll do evertything they can to make sure nothing like that ever happens again. If a ranger goes in they'll do everything in their power to keep them there."

" And a leader." Kelsey also pointed out. " Has it even occured to anyone that we'll need someone to call the shot's around here. I mean, we do, don't we?"

Everyone looked to another.

" Things would run a lot more smoothly." Kat had to agree.

"So, how do we decide?" Cassie inquired, looking at Karone who only shrugged her shoulders.

"Draw straws?" Tori suggested weakly. Tayler and Katie both shot her a narrowed look. "Or not."

"We vote." Trini spoke, walking to the center of the room. " Who do we consider as a leader amounst us?"

" Tayler's been a ranger a lot longer than I." Aylssa said openly. " She was our leader until Cole came on the team. I'll nominate her." Tayler tried to hide her smile as Alyssa winked at her, but she was clearly flattered by the anouncement.

Katie sat a hand on Jen's shoulder. " Same goes for Jen. I trust her with my life." Jen smiled her appreciation towards her friend.

"Anyone else?" Trini looked at each person directly before she met Kimberly's eye's.

Kimberly was leaned back comfortably against a console, listening, allowing everyone to voice their opinion. Trini's pointed stair at her caused everyone to look in her direction. Kim sighed as she staired back into Trini's gaze with unclear emotions and a blank expression.

" I nominate, Trini." The original ranger announced, nonchalantly. Trini stared at Kim in incomprehension. Kim's eyes were indifferent without their normal characteristic spirit.

"So, I guess that's it." Ashely said, breaking the silence that once again fell upon everyone. " Tayler, Jen and Trini are the nominees. Let's put it to a vote."

In the end, Trini was voted upon for tasks of leadership. Everyone felt comfortable with the thought of a original ranger having a lead in the team. Jen, the only real experienced 'leader' of the grooup, voted for Trini, rememberng how unstable she would get when it came to getting her revenge for Alex's supposed death those years ago. Being a leader, much less a ranger, meant knowing your limitations and Wes' disappearance was enough for her to create havoc. For herself and the team. Maybe anyone else may not be able to understand why she stepped down from the task when she recieved her votes, but she knew just from the last few days that Trini had the mind and strength as a leader. Jen trusted her and took great liberty in learning from her example.

Tayler just knew that being leader wasn't what she was meant to do. She was still a by-the-book kind of woman, even alot of her habits died when she learned Cole's principles on beng a team and a leader. She understood know more than ever, but there was also the fact she was unable to find the right train of mind with her emotions alone than an entire group of people. Tayler needed to take care of herself as best as she could and felt it was best for the team if she did. She respected Trini, admired her even. Tayler would be more than honored to fight beside her and follow her leadership.

Trini was truely stunned by the outcome of the voting, convinced that Jen would be the one whom would be nominated, but to everyone, being the one of the original rangers placed you on a pedestal. They began as five children no more than fourteen, defending the planet on their own, without anyone to set an example before them or guide them in to success. They were Zordon's first chosen, therefore considered to be the best of them all. Honorable. But Trini feeling though exalted and thankful by the thought that everyone found her fit to be leader, felt as if she were going to be ill.

Leadership was something never bestowed upon her before. She could coach a volly ball team, yes. Head a debate discussion, easily. But lead a group of rangers on a mission that could not only get them killed, but their friends and the love of her life. That's where the illness kicked in.

_" Trini, I don't think I could name a woman more stronger than you. I've seen you overcome more than most people can handle, watch people come to admire you and want to constantly be around you. You're beautiful. The way you can overcome any obsticle set infront of you is an unbelievable treasure and something I love most about you. Never forget that." _

_Jason,_ Trini bit down on her bottom lip reminiscing the first few moments of Jason and her relationship together as something more than friends. _I can do this. For Jason, I can do this. _

"Okay, now all we need is a plan." Dana said, bring everyone back in to attention. Trini snapped out of her reverie, heart clinging to those words spoken so long ago.

Karone looked to Alpha who stood off to the side. " Alpha, can you bring up the saloons blue prints on the projector table, please?"

"Right a way, Karone." Within mintues, the rangers were gathered in a smaller room where a lone round table sat with leather seats around it. Like the hollow gram disk Billy showed to them an even bigger one sat attached to the round table the rangers gathered around. The light dimmed and everyone found a seat at the table.

" This a layout of the saloon and surrounded areas." Karone swerved her chair to face the projection.

"What are the ways in?" Maya inquired.

"There are only two as far as we know." Ashley recalled, remembering she and Cassie also had been to the saloon before.

"I say we split up into two groups, one in front and one in back, then we hit it hard and don't let anyone out." Tayler said.

"We can't go in recklessly." Aisha pointed out.

Tori raised her hand almost unsure if she had the right to speak out. Trini gave her a reasuring smile and nodded for her to go ahead and speak. " I still have my morpher, if the field is not within reach of Oynx, just yet, shouldn't it work?"

Kendrix being the branica of the bunch, pondered the question before she answered.

" It should be able too. Doesn't sound so much as the field is spreading, but strenghtening around the area it is trying to protect. It shouldn't interfer with our morphers from Oynx, even if it is a couple of days journey away from one another."

" Then, we have some leverage. " Kat said, looking at the brighter side of things. Everyone began to put out suggestions on what they should do once they reached Oynx. Each having a chance to speak their views and opinions, until they were able to come to an agreement.

" Alright, looks like we all know what to do, but our plans are useless until we prepair ourselves. Rest, train, do whatever you need to in the next few hours. What have we got, Karone? A day? We need to be ready. " The rangers all nodded as Trini spoke.

Determination over took them as they all remained transfixed on the hologram hovering before them, before they each departed to prepare themselves for the task that lied ahead.

* * *

_**Next Day...**_

_

* * *

_

_She leaned heavly against the wall of the alley, her vision blurred and her breath coming out into deep labored breaths. Her skin was hot and slick with sweat, every nerve within her tingling, beating and burning like a fuse ready to explode. There were no words to express the intensity of the pain as her leg wobbled beneath her weight, gravity dropping on her and tightening its pressure on her lungs.  
_

"_Help me!" A voice cried faintly from nowhere and everywhere at once._

_Kim felt her heart pound against her chest, desperate to burst through in rage. She recongized that voice. _

_"Tommy! Where are you!"_

"_Help me!" Tommy cried again. Kimberly turned around and saw Tommy laying on the ground with a thin line of blood streaming from the corner of his lips. His eyelids weighted over his eyes like thick drapes of skin, sweat... And blood. Kimberly fell to her knees at his side, her body trembling with something buried within her. _

_She moved to lift his upper body in her arms and hugged him tight against herself, but in an instant, he disappeared and the little girl was in his place, her small body shivering. _

_" Hang on. Just hang on!"_

"_Help me, Kimberly..." The girl's voice was growing distant. Tears fell down Kim's cheeks in hot flares of..._

_"Kimberly!" _

_

* * *

_  
"Kimberly. Kimberly, wake up!" Tanya shook Kimberly awake by her shoulder and jumped when the petite ranger shot up to a seating position, heaving in gulps of air. "Whoa! Are you okay? I didn't mean to scare you." 

Kimberly looked around confused for a moment, before she focused on Tanya, who sat on the side of her bunk. The turbo ranger frowned in concern.

" Um...yeah. I'm fine." Kimberly's voice came out raw in her ear's. Silence eloped them as Kim sank her aching head in her hands to message the pain on either side of her forehead. Tanya watched her disquieted at the franticness of the pink ranger.  
The two of them never had a chance to meet, before she showed up for the conference back on earth. Tanya, however had heard many stories about the pink ranger from Kat, Adam, and Aisha long ago in her own ranger days. 

" Are you sure? It sounded like you were having a bad dream."

"No! I mean, yeah. I guess..." Tanya was even more concerned by her out burst. Kim held her head in her hand and took a deep breath, controlling the egde in her voice. " I'm fine. It was just a dream, that's all." She brushed it off.

Kim was silently thankful that she awoken fast enough before anything could happen. Quickly, her eyes ran over the exposed skin of her arms and hands, praying there were no telltale signs to give her away.

There was nothing.

"Okay." Tanya said, still not fully convinced she was fine as she watched the petite woman run her hands up and down her arms. Tanya stood, remembering why she had come to wake her. " Trini called everyone to meet in the teleportation room. It's time." 

Kimberly nodded and trailed behind Tanya to the teleportation room.

When they reached the room, everyone was gathered, attention focused on their newly appointed leader. Trini was already going over the plan for going into the saloon. Jen would lead the first team of Tayler, Alyssa, Katie, Maya, and Cassie around the front as a distraction. They would morph and lure the mutents out to them to abandon the saloon. Meanwhile, Trini would lead the second team of Kimberly, Aisha, Tanya, Karone, Tori, and Kelsey around the back to investigate. The rest would stay aboard ship and monitor their advances as back up if needed.

"I want us to be in and out." Trini was saying. "Karone said there should still be one being in that saloon who might be able to help us. That's the one we want to single out."

Kimberly couldn't help, but notice how a slow smile was begining to pull at the corners of her lips. Her body was fully awake with the possiblity that there would be a battle, she was adrenalized with excitement. Still anxiety lingered no matter how eager and prepared she was about going to this infamous planet Oynx. A very little bit of anxiety. Kim had been away from the ranger battles for so long and in that time gained as much as she had lost. If she were the same person she was a ranger, she would have felt a little intimidated compared to the others, but now...

Now thing's were different.

"_Help me..." The little girl cried softly in her arms._

Kimberly's heart skipped a few beats, before settling back to its normal pace. She placed a hand to her forehead in growing fustration with herself. _You can't get to carried away with yourself, Kim,_ she mused. If anything were to happen to her friends, because of her...

"Hey? You all right." Aisha whispered softly coming her side.

"Yeah, headache. No sleep."

"You think you're up for this?"

" I know I am."

Kim had missed half of what Karone was informing them of the planet. She nodded to Aisha, signaling to her that she was fine and focused on what was being said. "...We have to be very careful around here. Everyone looks out for one another. We only have one shot with this. I'm positive someone there knows what's going on."

Katie grinned in anticipation. " Then, let's go find 'em." Both teams grabbed their needed gear and stepped on to the teleportation platform, their bodies fading in beams of their rightful colors.

* * *

Alpha teleported them to the safest location possible just outside the small alien town. The planet was dry and hot, the wind kicking up the skin of the desert planes that surround them. The western themed town crawled with humanoid like creatures and ancient foot soliders that had not been seen on earth, since their leaders had tried their share to take over the earth. A group of four tanga's were laughing in shierks of strangled squawks amounst themselves infront of the saloons front entrance. Two quantrons stood infront of motor bikes along with half human/ half reptail creatures Jen couldn't even recognize from any of the data Alpha showed her on earths past enemies nor logs from the Time Force Academy when she was a cadet. 

Jen's hands clenched and unclenched with sticky sweat from the suns heat as she glanced out from behind the one of the old shacks, the others standing close behind her. She shallowed, but raised her chin knowing she had her duty to attend to, before tending to her growing anxiety to end this mission and high tail it off the roasting planet.

"How does it look?" Katie inquired in a hush tone from behind her. Jen pulled back from the corner of the building and looked at the others.

"Karone wasn't kidding about this place thats for sure. The town is crawling left and right with mutents." She informed them.

"We're ready for them." Tayler said confidently. Katie shared her credence.

"Right now, we wait for Trini to give the word first." Jen said, adjusting the morpher on her wrist.

Cassie crept over to look back out from around the corner, then looked back at the others.

"We better contact Trini's team and see how they're doing."

Jen nodded and lifted the wrist telelportor and two way communicator that Alpha distributed to them. " Trini, do you read?"

Short pause.

_"Yeah. How does it look over there?"_ Trini's voice came out through the small speaker, loud enough not to attract the attention of those not huddled in their tight circle around Jen.

" It's pretty busy. We got seven out here in front as far as we can tell and we can't get a good view of inside." Jen reported.

_"We haven't seen anyone over here yet. We're behind a closed off alley, a building away from the door to the back of the Saloon. We can hear alot of commotion from out here already. " _Trini informed them through the communicator. _"You guys ready to go?"_

"When you are."

_"Go!"_

"Tme to get down to business." Jen looked at her team. " Let's do it!"

"Time for Time Force!" Jen cried along with Katie. 

"Wild Access!" Tayler and Alyssa joined in.

"Go, Galatic!" Maya shouted.

"Let's Rocket!" Cassie yelled.

They were morphed in seconds flat and hauled out of their hiding place to the open grounds for all to see them.

* * *

**A/N:** Woo, one chapter down, several more to go. I hear reviews inspire authors, so please review! Comment! Question! Just say hi or something. Just keep the flames to yourselves, because I'm not cold. Thanks everyone for reading (hitting up my story over 4000 times) and the few of you for reviewing. Again, I hope I get more. Its what keeps me working on this each day. Also read up on my second female team up story 'It was supposed to be forever' and review. 

_**EclipsingFlames**_


	9. Her Portrait In Pink: Part 1

**A/N:** As of request by trueromantic, I just simple posted this with rewriting so much, cause I'm lazy. If iit had not been for her this wouldn't even be posted today. Thank you everyone for your reviews! More please : )

**Note (July 21st): Slowly coming back to correct small errors on this chapter, so it may look as if its being updated, but not. I'm working on the next chapter now. Keep reviewing, lets get it well up towards the late 70's or 80's, I really want to know what people think. **

* * *

**Her Portrait In Pink: Part 1  
**

* * *

" This place is unbelieveable. Putties...Tanga's...They're just crawling everywhere." Aisha whispered, peaking through the heavy coat of dust that curtained the back door of the Oynx Tavern. The bar provided no shadows for them to hide from the heat, so the hot rays attcked their skin till sweat pebbled their skin and glistened them with forming tans. The air itself was hard to suck in, but the few sweaps of warm air forced it down to their lungs. 

"I know. Look at them all. There are even pirantrons and quantrons here." Tanya inquired, taking her turn to peak through the window. "There's no way Jen and the others are going to be able to keep up the distraction for that long."

"We have no other choice." Trini said eyes sweeping across the wide desert land behind them.

"Their emptying out of here by the load." Karone said, softly. The former princess of evil, held her ear close to the wooden door and heard ranting inside from the hen house of villian's all stomping away from the back door out to the front entrance. The chaos around the corner could be heard a hundred yards away, flaring with roaring engines and blasters firing. The swell of shouts alone erupted around like an explosion in itself. "I think they're almost all gone."

"Are you sure someone will be left in there?" Kelsey inquired.

Karone finally looked at her with a small smirk on her face as she answered. " You would assume everyone in here were after the rangers, but some are actually afraid of us and others just don't care. They're the one's we're looking for." She paused to hear the sound of foot steps heading their way and motioned for everyone to get back. The door flew open nearly hitting Kelsey. Putties', Tangas, creatures that looked half human/ half reptail, and others all flooded out the back door, their arms frailing around over their heads, running for their lives.

"Now, we can go." Karone smirked.

"All right. Tori and Kelsey, you both morph and keep guard out here." Trini issued out orders. "We'll be out as soon as possible."

"Ninja Storm, Ranger Form! Ha!" Tori called out for her powers.

"Light Speed Rescue!" Kelsey shouted out.

* * *

The rest of them entered quietly into the tavern, their blasters raised and ready. They walked down the hall way beneath the balcony and stairs, their foot steps creaked on the floor boards under the feet and crunched when the stepped out into the open of the bar were fallen tables lay in broken ruins of glass, the entire space around them strongly fumed with an intoxicating aroma. Kimberly gaged and placed her hand over her nose. 

"Oh man- What's that smell?"

"Rasm. A strong liquor." Karone answered the purple liquided soaked on to a spot on the floor, just in front of her. " Some one must have spilled it through all the excitement."

Trini raised her laser blaster as she heard movement behind the bar. She motioned the others attention to the movement and she inched closer to inspect. Trini rounded the bar to the opening and saw a dinosour creature kneeled over reaching for broken glasses from beneath the bar. He didn't even acknowlegde their presences as they all looked down at him. Atleast, Trini could only guess it was a male. Finally after gathering the broke glass in hid apran he stood and noticed the blasters leveled at him. He blinked, almost nonchalantly, then turned and through out the debris into a trash can.

" I know what your here for." He spoke with any hint of treat within his voice.

Everyone looked at each other.

" And you'll give it to us?" Karone asked, pretty sure this creature would. She knew he ran the tavern and pretty much kept his distance whenever anything did break out within the old building. Still we can't let our guard down, she reminded herself. The others outside were doing fine for now, but they couldn't last too long.

" The name's Taverist. I was running a business here, before you _rangers_ came along." He picked up a broom and began to sweep that cake of dust up from the wood floor. Tanya chocked back a cough. " I just want my customers to keep returning. Everytime they do you _rangers_ keep comin' back and running them out."

Kimberly couldn't help, but notice how his voice would catch with disgust when the word rangers passed his reptile lips. She didn't exactly understand why this guy wanted to run a business instead of recking chaos across the universe along with every other monster she knew of, but she didn't want to complain either. " No time, Trini. Tick tock." She reminded, the leader of the mission.

" I know." Trini lowered her blaster, the others still pointed on him and she motioned for them to follow suit. Kimberly glared, but relunctantly lowered her laser, trusting her friend. " As soon as we get what we came here for we'll leave and never again come back. I'm sorry we had to ruin it, again." He snorted and continued sweeping. " Help us."

Taverist sighed irriataited by her plea for his help. "The sooner I help, the sooner you get off my property?"

Trini nodded in agreement. "And never return."

"Fine. But if your word is broken, you work for me. Now come on, don't want 'em to know what I'm giving ya." Taverist grumbled and they followed him up the stairs.

* * *

"Kiya!" Tayler summersaulted into the air and rammed both her feet into the chest of one of the tanga warriors. The tanga squaked and flew back on to it's back skeeding on the ground into a puttie. Tayler used her powers to help her back fliup from the impact and land gracefully back on to her feet. She grinned in satifaction and went back to work on fighting off a group of six more enemies. They kept charging left and right; their attacks on one's that remained unconscious didn't seem to ease the numbers of their opposers. 

"Argh!" She cringed as she recieved a knee blow to the gut that robbed the air out from her lungs and sent her to her knees on the ground.

"Tayler!" Katie shouted from a mob of attacking creature of all kinds and Alyssa shouted from her communicater from the ship outside the orbit.

The wild force ranger growled in anger as putties, quantron, and whatever else all dog piled her.

"Get! Off! Of! Me!" She summed all her power to her leg's and pushed up with all her might, breaking through the pile of bodies up into the air. The wing's her eagle crystal power supplied her with caught the hot wind and held her body up above the army of monsters as she summed her weapon to her aid.

" Eagle saber!" The long sword materialized within her hand catching the blazing ray's of the alien sun.

Tayler landed swifttly back on to her feet and charged right through the monsters and former foot soliders that had once sat foot on earth, but even with the blows of her deathly strikes she still was over powered.

" Arghhhh!" Multiple blasters of blazing ray's struck her from all sides knocking her to the ground, demorphed.

Katie beated back a cry of pain as she felt the hilt of a sword striking her lower back with much force to make her knee's buckle beneath her. She had saw Tayler already being fall crumble to the ground, her powers leaving her exposed in cilivian form. Cassie had tried to reach her, but her path was blocked and her chances of getting pass were growing thin, even with the help of her satilite stunner and power blaster.

"We're not going to be able to last much longer! Tayler's down!" Katie cried to Jen.

Jen delievered a round house kick to a couple of quantrons giving her a bit of space from the rest of the monsters and footsoliders that waited their turn. She turned to Katie's direction.

"We have to try, Katie." She summoned her time force cannon and blasted the creatures that piled of Tayler, whom was now conscious and trying to fight them off in civilian form. Jen ran to her side. " You all right?"

Tayler was crouched into a fighting stance, but her face consealed pain under her mask of strenght and anger.

"We have to retreat. Everyone is falling fast!" She observed, Cassie falling to the ground her powers leaving her vulnerable as her suit thinned and disappeared from her body. A few feet away from them Maya went twisting in the air with sparks spraying from her chest, her scream caused Jen and Tayler to cringe.

"You're right." They both were able to knock back a few of their pursuers. Jen raised her communicator to her helmeted consealed face. "Trini, we have to go. Now!" As soon as the words left her lips, darkness came to her as quaked with enegry and sent her to the ground.

* * *

**Inside the Tavern**

* * *

"_Trini, we have to go. Now!" _ The group looked down at their communicators as Jen's voice filled the speakers. They all looked at one another, knowing that their time was up. 

"They don't sound like they can last much longer." Tanya said fearing their mission was over without much to show for it. Aisha and Karone exchanged a nervous glance with one another .

They were all standing outside a small storage room peering in only to see cargo boxes full of alien products and cleaning equipment. Taverist tossed things out into the center of the room, muttering under his breath about hiring new help around with the tavern. 

"Listen, we don't exactly have time for this," Trini spat, her thoughts on the others outside. "Tell us what we need to know."

Taverist glanced over his shoulder at her, avoiding the egde in her voice and the laser blasters aimed at his hunched form as he continued to to dig through the back of the storage room until he found what he was searching for. They all frowned as he tugged out an heavy object that was hiden beneath a heavy throw blanket.

"There," Was all Taverist said as he stepped back to allow Trini to observe it. The rangers looked at one another in confusion.

" How is this supposed to help us?" Karone started to inquired, expecting him to give them something small like a disk or paper work with the information they needed. Taverist rolled his beady eye's in human-like nature and removed the heavy blanket from the object, sending large puff's of dust everywhere. When it cleared, the ranger gasped at what they saw, some covering their mouth's in shock, nearly dropping their blasters from their hands. The petite figure was slumped over, dinted and growing rust as if it had been stored within the room for years, but they knew what it was.

_Who_ it was.

"Alpha 5," Kimberly's voice cracked with emotion as she recongized instantly the little robot that once glowed with life.

The former pink ranger fell to her knees in front of the figure that was smaller than herself to get a closer look at its face. Her hands were shaking as she laid them carefully on Alpha's cold metal body. Trini came to her side, her eye's still wide with shock, then anger.

"How? Who did this?" She re-risen her blaster at the bartender and owner of the tavern.

He looked at her as if she should have known Alpha 5 were in his bar and struggled. "He was bought in by one of 'em traders. Supposed to have been sold in the next auction this week; thought this is what you rangers came here for."

Kim glared at him as she rose to her feet.

"What did you do to him?" She grawled between her teeth. "Why isn't he responding to us?"

Taverist shruggled again. " Came like this. As far as I know, the thing is busted."

**BAM!**

Everyone jumped as they heard something crash down below followed by drunken shouts of unhuman voices.

"That's it. We're out of here." Trini ordered, now aiming her blaster down the hall.

"What about Alpha?" Tanya inquired. "He's too heavy for us to carry ourselves."

"I can't leave him here," Her voice came in an almost desperate whisper that caused Trini and Aisha to eye their best friend closer. Kimberly held on to Alpha 5's life hand, her eyes closed and her head lowered as she kneeled forward on to her knees. Trini noticed how the former pink ranger's body quaked lightly as if she withheld something she didn't want them to see.

Trini kneeled next to her friend and team-mate, placing a hand on her shaking shoulders, hoping to provide some comfort. Kim's eyes openned and looked right into Trini's. Trini could have sworn she saw the faintest hint of pink against the golden brown of her normal eye color, but as soon as she saw it, it was gone. Trini didn't know what it was that stopped the words from coming pass her lips, they seemed to collect on her tongue, stumbling over one word after another as a blinding sensation poured heat up her arm and rushed up to her brain. Her mind was overloaded with data rushing in bursts of colors, formless words and images, but Trini's heart latched on to these things as they openned up in to her heart and overwhelmed her with emotions.

_Kim's emotions._

Trini didn't know how she knew, but she was somehow feeling exactly what Kimberly was feeling. It was her body quaking. Her hand grasping on to Alpha's cold gloved hand. Her eyes looking at her awe struck face. All of a sudden images flashed through Trini's mind.

* * *

**Flash**

_Trini held a girl within her arm's tears rivering down the sides of her cheeks._

**Flash**

_Alpha stood at her side consoling her and telling her stories that made her laugh, though she felt pain swell through her at the same time._

**Flash**

_Alpha came to visit her after hearing of Zordon's death. And visited many times after that, until one day, he just stopped coming.  
_

_

* * *

_

Then like that it was all gone.

Kimberly rose out of Trini's contact on her shoulder, her breath leaving her in small gaspes as if she were trying to stop the tears she felt within her. Trini stared at her from her kneeled position on the floor and fell back on her rear end, eyes never leaving Kimberly's. It was her emotions Trini was feeling. Her thoughts.

But how?

"Trini? Kim? Are you guys okay?" Karone questioned. She, Aisha, and Tanya looked between the two of them, whom could only stair at one another. Trini with awe and confusion. Kimberly with terror and worry.

"Y-yeah." Trini said slowly, her eye's still locked with Kim's. She rose to her feet with the help of Aisha. " I just thought I felt something..." Her eye's narrowed a bit at Kimberly, but Kimberly set back up the wall she had held up for years.

"It's nothing." Kimberly spoke up, her voice strong and pointed to Trini. " It _was_ nothing."

The girls staired at them once again, not knowing what had just happened between the two. Taverist didn't notice anything that was going on as he begun to reoriganize the storage room.

Trini was about to say something when a loud outburst of voice erupted within the tavern causing them all to jump and Trini to snap back into the situation at hand instantly as a familiar voice screamed out in pain. Karone, whom was closes to the storage door, looked at Trini and the others with growing fear.

"It's Cassie." She said naming the voice that was heard.

The laughter drowned out her loud cry of pain and fear pounded against Trini's heart.

"They got Jen's team." She whispered what had already dawned on the others.

* * *

**Astro Mega Ship**

* * *

Dana, Kendrix, Kat, and Ashley were the ones who remained on the ship as they watched helplessly from the monitors as Jen's team were out numbered and force to demorph from the brutal attacks. 

"This is not good," Kendrix commented from a console with Ashley at her side. Alpha was busy operating another on the console across the way from them, while Kat and Dana, the only two who knew the less about the ship stood watching the view screen in the front of the bridge.

"Any luck contacting Trini and the others?" Aylssa inquired, trying to remain calm.

" No. Something is seriously wrong with the communication systems." Ashley replied working intensely with the communication consoles, pressing button sequnces to get the system operating correctly. "D.E.C.A., can you run a virus scan on the ships systems?"

There was a short pause, before the ship's computer, D.E.C.A. replied. " My sensors detact no virus. All systems are functioning properly."

The yellow space ranger groaned in fustration and looked at the others.

" I don't understand this at all." The console Kat was leaning back on hummed to life and a print sheet came out a slot. Ashley retrieved the print out and read it over. " The communication systems were working just fine a second ago now we completely lost contact with everyone."

"Trini and the others must have gotten into trouble inside the tavern." Dana said. "Now what do we do? We can't go after them or we'll risk getting captured ourselves."

" And we lose our chance in knowing what we're up against and risk Tommy and the other rangers lives." Kat agreed, her slinder fingers pushing through her blond hair. And suddenly an idea hit her. " D.E.C.A., run a scan on the tavern. Look for any abnormal radio waves."

"Running scan now." D.E.C.A. informed the veteran ranger.

"You have an idea?" Dana questioned frowning in confusion.

" My sensor's detect an energy barrior within the structure." DECA confirmed to Kat's suspicion's.

Kat explained her thoughts to the others who awaited an answer.

"Before I became a ranger, I was put under a spell by Rita Rupulsa that turned me evil; thanks to Kimberly and the others that spell was broken, but a few weeks after the team needed me to convince Rita and lord Zedd i was still under that spell. Tommy and I were assigned to head up to the moon palace, but there were energy waves there that jammed our communicators and we lost contact with the command center." Kat quickly told them as she came to her point.

" What I'm thinking is what if that tavern contains something that's blocking our communication systems from making contact with the others inside? Think about it. We didn't lose contact with Jen and Trini till they entered the tavern and had full communication with them when they were out of range of it."

"So they must have crafted a device to jam our communication frequncies." Kendrix beamed at Kat. "Of course! Karone said to be ready for anything; I guess our enemies at the tavern were ready too."

"Then we have a lot more on our plate, you guys." Ashley said. " Think about it. Not only does our communicators have energy waves that can be jammed, but our morphers do too.'

"Ashley is correct, rangers." Alpha spoke out to the remaining few. " The ship's sensors were able to locate the device. It is called an Triblockulator; orginated from planet Gatyul . The Triblockulator must be stolen technology; Gatyulans are known to be peaceful people and allies of the Eltarion planet."

"Then we have to destroy that device." Kat said her hands rolling into tight fists. "I won't sit here and wait for them to die." They all knew the risks they were taken, but if they didn't do nothing, then the red rangers and their female team mates had no chance of survival. So looking at one another, they grabbed their remaining rightful morphers and teleported down to planet Oynx.

* * *

**Back In the Tavern...**

* * *

"Alpha 6, this is Trini, do you read me? D.E.C.A.?" Static filled the little speaker of the wrist communicator as they all remained hiden within the small storage room. " That's weird; I can't get a signal in here." Trini spoke softly enough for the others to hear her. 

Karone frowned. "That's never happened before. Something must be jamming our frequncy." She peered out into the hall and the heads of monsters tilted back laughing as she saw Jen's team, Tori and Kelsey were all captive and held down on to their knees, their powers ripped from them. "The others aren't morphed anymore!"

"What!" The others said growing more fearful by the second.

" Its that device Dasku has," They looked back at Taverist, whom now sat on a stack of crates, stairing at them. "Its called an Triblockulator. Supposed to knock out any of you rangers energy waves from your morphers and communicators."

Aisha frowned at the bartender, half thankful for him giving them as much information as he did and the other half of her questioning why he gave them so much information. By the look on Tanya and Karone's face, they too, questioned his motives. Trini still looked a bit shaken as did Kimberly, Aisha figured she would interrogate them on the matter once they were all safely back on the ship.

"I guess we can rule out Tanya using her zeo morpher." She muttered silently, wishing she had a morpher of her own.

_Not that it would do any good now, _Aisha thought bitterly.

" I have an idea." Kimberly said gathering their attention. Trini could tell by the boldness in her voice, she had already made up her mind about something. "I should be able to distract them long enough for the others to get free and you guys to carry Alpha out of here."

"No way, Kim." Aisha said, dismissing the idea. "There's no way we're leaving you to handle those guys; you don't even have a morpher to defend yourself."

"No, I don't, but I have something way more than the four of you have and its enough." Kimberly countered back.

Aisha still wasn't convinced, but before she could say anything else, Kimberly walked out the storage room to the balcony and down the stairs.

"Kimberly!" Karone, Aisha, and Tanya hissed all at once upon her leave.

" What does she think she's doing? She's going to get herself killed." Tanya hissed as they remained within the safety of the storage room with Taverist. Tanya looked at back at Trini, whom hadn't said anything upon Kimberly's recklessness. "What do we do now? Trini?"

They all looked at Trini, whom seemed uneffected by Kim's exit.

"Let her go." The words came out of her mouth before she realized what she was saying. There was something different about Kim; she didn't know what, but she could now feel it. Remember the flakes of pink that flashed through her eyes and the energy that washed through her when she did something as simple as touching her skin.

"Just let her go."

* * *

**Meanwhile **

**

* * *

**

"Looks like you rangers were out smarted this time. Shows you to not walk in and out whenever you please," One creature chuckled amounst those that gathered around them.

They each had a bitter remark thrown out at them. Some who were nearby managed to shove Tori and the others around. Tori fought to remain calm and bite back any cry of pain that still rattled her body and the broken glass that cut in to her knees. Tori and Kelsey had been found guarding the back door and were attacked, their powers failing them in the end.

Jen was to her right struggling against the roughness of one tank-like monster's hold on her as the rest of them.

" Bet they're wondering where their red rangers are," One of them barked stepping into view. He looked more human than anything except for the silver mask that covered the left side of his face and the yellow fangs that hung out his mouth. A cape draped his back and the front of his body and a hood covered the top of his head, his face, gloved hands and booted feet were the only things visable. "Isn't that right, rangers?"

" We won't tell you anything!" Jen spoke, her voice hard and steady as the rest of the tavern silenced in order to hear.

"Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Dasku and let me guess, your the leader of this little pathetic team. Did you reallly think we didn't expect you here?" He stepped closer and kneeled down till he reached Jen's eye level.

"We feel her rising. The ultimate evil. Just think of it, if I were to turn in a hand full of female rangers, I could be greatly rewarded. I could be come a general in her court. But," He pulled a long blade from his cape and held it up to beneath Jen's neck. A thin line of blood peaking through her flesh as she swallowed, but didn't show him an ounch of fear. "Would it really matter if _one_ of you were missing?"

"Do what you want with me. There are others who will get you." Jen spat back, his face so close to hers she could feel the heat of his breath against her cheek.

" Famous last words," Dasku pointed his other hand directly at Tori. " Kill her; the others are for the Queen." He ordered to the crowd, who all grinned with a look of hunger in their eyes and they each pulled out their rightful weapons and edged towards Tori.

"No wait-! Argh!" Jen was struck in the face by the silver masked being. Katie flexed to try to push the ten people keeping her grounded due to her massive strength. Everyone else struggled to try to break free.

Tori was yanked off her knees to the center of the floor, the others were fighting back those who tried to hold them down as they tried to help her, but she was well on her own at that point.

_Why me?_ Was all Tori could think at the moment as she lifted her two fingers in the air.

"Ninja Storm, Ranger form! Ha!" She gasped.

Nothing had happened.

"No..." Tori gasped when her powers didn't come to her. She was kicked on to her back and a foot planted itself on the center of her chest.

" It's a new device designed to cripple your morphers. You like?" Dasku teased.

She saw the blade's tip leveled down at her and then heard the screams of her team mates, the very second she raised her arms over her face in reflex, a flash of pink washed through the crowd.

The wait gave Tori's heart time to nearly break through her chest when she realized something: Nothing.

There was nothing.

The pressure on her chest was gone.

Tori's heart pounded against her chest as she surely believed she was going to die. Die before she could even turn the age of twenty.

But instead of peaking through her lids toward lingering death, her eyes slowly opened to find Kimberly standing over her. 

"You okay?" Kim asked, pulling her out of her trance.

"Yeah." She replied slowly and noticed Dasku had been thrown across the bar against the crowd, all crumbled to the floor beneath his sudden impact.

Everyone stopped completely dumbfound by what had just happened; all they could do was stair back from Dasku to Kimberly and back in amazement. Kimberly helped Tori to her feet, her eyes never wondering off the crowd of those who hated the forces of good.

Tori looked at her in awe. " How did you do that?"

Kimberly looked at her and said nothing. Tori caught the hint of hot pink that begun to shine in the former pink rangers eyes.

Tori gasped, but broke her eye contact upon the sound of Dasku standing, glaring at the original pink ranger, his hand tightly clasping on to his sword. He raised his sword at Kim and sneered.

" I don't know where you came from, but you are going to pay for what you just did."

Tori had begun to lower herself into a fighting stance when she felt Kim's hand at her wrist.

" Don't. I'll handle him; you help the others. Tell them Trini and the others are upstairs and need help too." Kim ordered.

"But-"

"Do as I said!" Kimberly snapped as Tori began to protest. "I can handle them."

"Argh!" Dasku leaped, the ends of his cape flaring in tides of fabric ripples in the air, and landed just a couple of feet before Tori and Kim. Before Tori could even realize what was happening, Kim pushed her out the way as Dasku streaked in to a blur of green light heading right towards them. Dasku advanced on Kim, slashed with the steel of blade glaring in the specks of green energy. He kicked in combinations quicker than the eye could catch. He was stunning, deadly and no easy component to battle with especially unmorphed.

But the most astonishing thing was Kim, whom fought with her body outlined in an abnormal pink glow, anything but incompetent, to Dasku's attacks.

* * *

**A/N:** There you go! Hope your happy. It's not rewritten and hardly edited at all, so its not at its full potential, I suppose, but pretty good. Just wanted to get this out the way, so I won't keep you folks waiting. **Are we grateful? If yes, please, review.** Oh and also, if you have my story on alert, I rewrote/ edited chapters 1-5 of this story, so thats the reason you have multiple alert messages. 

**EclipsingFlames**


	10. Her Portrait In Pink: Part 2

* * *

**A/N: Welcome to what's only the beginning... **

**

* * *

**

**"Woman must not depend upon the protection of man,**

**but must be taught to protect herself."**

**- Unknown  
**

**

* * *

**

**Her Portrait In Pink: Part 2 **

* * *

" What is going on in there?" Kat inquired as she stepped close enough to see the tavern, but far away enough not to disturb her zeo morphing energy.

"I have no idea, but the other rangers need our help." Dana spoke from her side. "The question is how are we supposed to destroy that device, if we don't know who is carrying it?"

"Wish we thought of that sooner." Ashley grumbled, checking their surroundings for any lurking danger. The town was built of two columns of shacks with cavities of alleyways peaking out between every few cabins. The single road that ran between the town burned tan under the hot sun, the ground pressed flat with footprints, tire tracks, and litter of glass bottles oozing with liquid substance that puffed steams of smoke.

The tavern that Trini's team was supposed to enter stood off to the right opposite from where they were now. The sound of voices reached outside the bar, but nothing clear enough for them to know if their friends were all right.

Dana edged out a bit further around the shack they hid along side of to get a clear view down each side of the street. The road was completely deserted of any life, but down the far left a stretch of alien motor vehicles parked in wait of their owners.

"Those motorcycles down there," Dana point to the line of bikes for the others to see around her. " If we blow them with our blasters, maybe we could clear out the tavern."

"And hopefully give the others all time to get away." Kat agreed with the plan. "We have to try."

"But we can't get ourselves captured either. " Kendrix reminded them. " They got both Jen's and Trini's team in there, which means they could easily get us as well."

"Not if we make the explosion big enough for them to believe they're out numbered." Ashley pointed out. "Its the only shot we got."

Kat nodded. "Let's do it!"

* * *

**Meanwhile...**

* * *

**Hold your breath quiet now don't say a word  
You could run (but) it wont do any good  
Prayers forsaken when you lose faith inside  
It's not time to die**

* * *

Aisha watched the chaos erupt down stairs not believing a single thing her eyes just showed her.

They had all saw everything happen clearly from the balcony view as they were about to step out and try to save Tori from being shredded when it happened. There was no way Kimberly could have ran down the stairs in time to get to Tori so fast, so she jumped off the balcony ten feet in the air and somehow landed right in the middle of the bar below.

Right in the middle!

Not only was the jump insane to achieve, unmorphed, the middle of the tavern was at a wide angle that was just impossible to land without at least a good running start off the balcony.

Kim didn't even need a running start!

She just leaped off the edge, body hazing into thin pink embers that made Aisha question her sanity.

What the hell is going on? Aisha's mind screamed, completely baffled with her mouth hanging open. In a blink of eye, Dasku and the hand full of creatures surrounding Tori were tossed towards the edge of the bar in a burst of pink swells that radiated off Kim's petite frame.

She didn't even touch them!

"Oh my..." Tanya couldn't even finish her own sentence, mesmerized by the strikes of pink energy that fused through Kimberly, below them. "How did she...? How?"

The yellow ranger fought to recover some full sentences in her bewilderment.

" I have no idea." Aisha shook her own head mystified. "But that's definitely not a morphers work."

She felt the touch of a hand on her shoulder and looked to her left to find Trini. Her eyes were glued on Kim with the same masking emotions as she could only guess were the one's she was wearing herself.

" How is that possible? She's not even morphed; she can't morph! None of them can with that device Taverist told us about! Even with her power coin fully charged could she do that." Karone rambled, feeling the throbbing of the pink flares that dripped off Kim's body in to the air, causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand and goose bumps to prickle on her arms.

Trini could only stare down at the fight scene below, her eyes mesmerized by Kim unknown power. She only glanced at Aisha as she pulled out her laser gun and spoke out an strict order.

"Its time to leave." Aisha nodded, still enchanted by the performed display of her friend.

* * *

**Your life  
Is it a lie  
When you get what your looking for  
Your cravings subside  
Or will you crawl into  
A casket  
An early tomb  
Lay down and give up inside  
She'd rather die**

**

* * *

**

They each pulled out there lasers and hurried to the balcony where they could get an even better view of what was happening below.

Dasku burned with vengeance as he collided in to a one-on-one battle with Kimberly. It was purely mind-blowing, the combat opened up the ground floor to give the two rooms for their astonishing performance.

Dasku was lethal, far more homicidal than even his twisted appearance gave him credit to being, his movement was a flash of spit-fire green energy that exploded with each contact his blows made, his agility was unmatchable to any ranger or monster, Aisha had ever seen. His skill and capabilities was an entire new league that would leave Golder and Zedd weeping in dread. And on top of all his abilities, his jagged sword bleed wickedly with energy across the entire blade, so each swipe of it through the air seemed to pulsate with throbbing energy to boil the skin and pop blood vessels with a cut no smaller than a paper cut!

Aisha witnessed that theory personally as the green glinted sword slashed pass a few monsters in Dasku's attempt to get Kim. Each monster that felt the swipe, lost a limb or their skin instantly swelled to a bubble of fluid that resembled the size of a baseball.

It was gruesome.

And not a single attempt could touch Kim.

Dasku was in a league of his own in mastery, but Kimberly developed a whole new level above him with her hidden expertise.

The pink ranger defied gravity, literally. When she jumped, it was well above everyone's heads and beyond longer than the average split second in mid-air. Her speed was blasts of pink mist and streaks of electricity that left you blinking disbelief, as one moment you saw her and in an instant she was somewhere else. Her arms flung out in movement of wings and a multitudes of fists that could only be seen in the bust of impact when they cracked Dasku in the face and ribs, then sent currents of energy through his body by the bucket loads. The kicks she unleashed were blinding, her keen mobility launched her into various kicking combos that knocked Dasku off his balance more than once. He was unable to regain his ground as her advances flooded him.

* * *

**  
When you fall  
So spent from emotion  
She is what  
Brings you to your feet  
Where challenges lie  
On the verge of destruction  
She pulls you back  
And she gives you wings  
(death wont hold you as tight as she will)**

* * *

Besides their private match that no one dared to intervene, the monsters bare as much as they could stand of patience and were eager to take their turn at killing a ranger.

Tori weaved her way through the attacks that came at her with attacks of her own she inherited from her study at the wind ninja academy. Skilled in water technics, she ran fluidly through the mob of punches and kicks, blocking them, before sending them to the ground with quick movement to stun them.

First up was Katie, a single roundhouse kick from Tori knocked two of the tangas of the ten monsters down. That alone was enough to topple the balance. The yellow ranger flexed, the muscles in her legs bringing her up from her knees to her feet as with one great heave, she threw the group of creatures off of her and three feet in each direction. Katie grinned and winked at Tori as she grabbed for a reptile creature by the collar and held him over her head by the arms and legs, before she hurled him at its fellow baddies that held Jen and the others, freeing them.

Jen unleashed instantly, windmilling kicks in every direction, each blow catching the neck and head of a creature. She didn't give herself time to identify. Cassie flipped forward till she landed between two large monsters of different origin, and leaped in to the air with a split kick between the two that sent each sailing in the opposite direction. Tayler was in major payback mode as she punched each exposed chest open to her and delivered elbow and knee shots, giving each being that stepped up to her, the appropriate time to gain their much, deserved ass kicking. She had no doubt in her mind that they were grateful.

That was sarcasm of course.

Alyssa crouched herself into a stance, hands flexing into forms of claws as she keyed into her tiger technic that she had mastered within the years, through her father teaching. In close combat, her hands latched on to open throats and chest, raking them her nails and plowing them with kicks and knee blows she turn her body hard into for the pain to ripple through their armor and clothing without trouble.

* * *

**Can you feel her  
Running through your veins  
She will always live forever  
(Can you bear the burden?)**

Can you feel her  
Running through your veins  
She will always live forever  
(Can you bear the burden?)  


* * *

Not to far from the white ranger, Kelsey whipped her way through monster after monster in quick, energic movements, she honed through kick boxing skills. She twisted an arm of a putty till she heard a pop and then flipped over its back to an awaiting cog that hadn't expected her action.

As for Trini and her group, they rushed down stairs, their blasters cutting through the bodies of beast and mutant alike that covered every inch of the bar.

Aisha leveled her weapon at the monster that was getting ready to attack Tori from behind and fired. The monster crumbled to a heap on the floor leaving the blue ninja strom ranger to deliver a tornado kick to another approaching monster along side of her. She glanced over by the flight of stairs and saw Trini and the others firing, knocking down the large sum of mutants around her and smiled, gratefully, before continuing.

Aisha ran down the last few steps of stairs with the others in tow and instantly eloped with kicks and punches coming from all sides. A trophy martial artist, thanks to Rocky and Adam, Aisha dodged the blows to her chest and tumbled beneath them, coming up with a snap kick to the head of a monster in front of her. She turned, back handing the being to her right and shooting down another monster that leaped into the air from the bar to jump her. Instead, it landed on two quanatrons with their backs turned away from it.

Karone spun through fluttering arms and legs that lashed out at her and shot everyone in the chest that sent them spiraling to the floor, stunned. She then lowered her upper body and whipped her legs over her head to a handless flip, her blaster firing blast after blast in midair till she landed back on her feet and kicked out at a reptile creature in front of her.

Tanya plowed through the thick line of monsters and foot soldiers in various of tornado kicks, each time she landed red lines of her laser blaster spitting out energy to the beings around her. Tables and walls exploded with the impact of bodies and her weapon as they received the affliction.

* * *

**  
You'll turn your back, you'll patronize  
She's pleading  
You will question your every want  
She's bleeding out  
She's bleeding out  
She's bleeding out**

* * *

It was Trini that saved her blaster for the last resort.

Feeling the vitality of the chaos fuel her passion for Kung Fu, she release it in powerful blows, Trini channeled through her fists and feet. To anyone who would see her would think she was a female Bruce Lee as she set loose an exhalation of chi, which the sudden impact alone, stunned her opponents, before she sent them crashing to the floor with a concentrated attack. Martial arts is about finding your focuses on inner spiritual development, balance, form, and mental awareness. But Trini was pissed and when tempers flared, she delivered hard and fast till no one was left standing.

It was clear, the rangers matched their rival strengths, but the numbers were overwhelming. Without their powers, Trini knew soon the help of their morphers would be what they needed to come out of this without the taking one of her friends lives.

Trini was knocked on to her back by two putties, she hadn't fought against, since her prime as the yellow ranger, her blaster flew out of her hands and skid across the wooden floor through the forest of legs of both sides. She knew she would not be able to recover the blaster in time soon. Everyone was fighting their own intense battles and wouldn't be able to help her without endangering their own selves.

Both putties were about to hook her with their fists...

**POW!**

When a loud explosion stopped all attacks from continuing to engage. The ground quaked knocking some off balance and some tumbling to the windows to see debris crashing to the lone road in flames.

* * *

**She will always live forever**

* * *

Taking the distraction as her only chance, Trini flipped on to her feet and did a round house kick to the two putties, sending them crashing on to the floor.

" Its more rangers! They're taking over Oynx!" A monster cried, being closes to the door. "I'm out of here!" He high tailed it out the door, his action and fear causing a chain reaction through the crowd as they all made it for the back door and in to the deserts sun. Trini and Jen both grinned at one another.

Reinforcements had arrived.

"Get back here, you fools!" Dasku shouted furiously after their retreat. Kimberly still crouched into a battle stance across from him. Pink energy, visible as it flowed on top her bare skin in fiery currents. He growled, stabbing his sword through the air as he glared hatefully at the former pink ranger.

"No matter. I'll finish you all by myself." He said, confidently.

"If you think you can." Jen remarked slyly as she took her position by Kim, the others following suit.

* * *

**She's bleeding out**

She's bleeding out

She's bleeding out

* * *

"Don't!" Kimberly barked at them. Trini looked at her best friend still hanging in shock over the energy that licked off of her. Kim's eyes never left Dasku's as she spoke. " He's mine."

Jen looked unsure. Katie looked to Jen in question, her eyes widen as if asking her if they should listen. Jen looked to Trini and slowly everyone else looked to her, but her decision didn't matter. Kimberly and Dasku raced at one another, drawing the remaining few who watched back from the incredible battle that intensified before their eyes.

They were both bleeding in blazes of power no one else possessed, but gasped at in awe.

Dasku attacked hard, but Kim countered back, twice as hard and more accurately. Trini couldn't believe her own eyes as she saw technics, she knew Kim never had when they were rangers. Not to say the former pink ranger was weak nor incapable to learn such abilities, but Trini knew her best friend long enough to know Kim rather practice her gymnastics than to spend a large amount of time enhancing her skills in martial arts. When the time called for it, Kim could hone in on combo attacks she learned from her time as a ranger and her teammates, but a majority of the time, she didn't surpass anyone in mastery or only came equal to them. Now, she could easily outmatch all them, and still be ready to take on another team or two.

Trini could see that the corners of Kim's lips tugging into a grin of amusement.

She was toying with him. Trini realized, marveled by the revelation. Kim loves every minute of this, which means if she wanted to, she could take Dasku down easily. And she knows it!

* * *

**  
Death won't hold you as tight as she will**

* * *

Trini gasped as Dasku managed to kick Kim in the pelvis and caused her to stumble back a few steps. All in the time it took Kimberly regained her footing, Dasku sent the deadly side of his sword to her side, but Kim rolled out the way and jumped, stretching out her right leg to connect a kick to Dasku's chest. He tripped over a fallen chair and went down to the floor with a loud thud, his hooded cape whipping back to reveal a small black device that glistened in the sunlight that broke through the window. Trini's eyes keyed on to it, instantly.

The triblockulator.

Trini looked around till her eyes laid upon the fallen blaster she had dropped earlier, she cocked the tip of her foot down under the weapon and snapped it upward, sending the blaster hurling up at her for her hand to catch.

Dasku recovered fast, already rising to begin his attack anew.

Trini spun towards him, the location of the device already encrypted in to her memory.

Dasku raised his sword, prepared to rush Kimberly again.

Trini aimed.

Fired.

* * *

**Can you feel her running through your veins  
She will always live forever  
( an you bear the burden?)  
Can you feel her running through your veins  
She will always live forever  
(Can you bear the burden?)**

* * *

The steady light beam burned through the air in a column of red energy, but Dasku never saw it coming. The machine at his waist caught the blast, crackling and sizzling as sparks flared from the box and melt in its case. Dasku jumped at the sudden fire that nipped at his cape in tiny embers. He patted them out with his hand, while trying to keep his sword gripped in the other.

The rush of energy waved over the rangers and their morphers came to life.

"No!" Dasku shouted as he held the device within his hand.

"Trini, come in, it's Katherine. Can you read me?" Kat's voice filled the rangers communicators. "Jen can you hear me?" Jen glanced from Kim to Trini before she replied to the anxious ranger.

Within seconds, Kat, Dana, Kendrix and Ashely entered the tavern fully morphed before they powered down and all gazed in astonishment at Kimberly's glowing form before them. The group reformed, all in front of the door, before Dasku and Kim.

"Oh my gosh..." Kat gasped at her friend. Kimberly shivered under her friend's stunned face.

"What happened?" Ashley inquired softly, eyes never leaving the flares of pink on the original rangers body.

Kimberly looked away from their intense gaze, suddenly ashamed and uncomfortable from her exposer. She watched as the wheels turned in Trini's head and realization dawn on Aisha's face. The power her small body contained, pulsed through her, radiating her skin, like a pink beacon. The familiar warmth ran through her blood and all her senses awakened fully as they always done before. Kim clenched her fists as the energy streaked up and down her arms as they did whenever she used her power. Kim concentrated to lower the energy that swelled within her, the radiation burning off of her, reducing till her skin returned to its natural appearance.

"You fools! I'll make you pay for what you've done!" Kimberly's eyes snapped open instantly as Dasku stood up in rage and fired a neon green sphere from his hand straight at Trini and the others.

"No!"

The power within her burst free once again, she felt the pink cloud form around her, pulling her in and teleporting her in a blink of an eye. The energy within her kindled her body and flowed from her hand as she stretched a force field out in front of them. The green beam hit the field and backfired at Dasku, sending him sailing back in to the bar with a cringing thud.

He didn't move.

Kim lowered her arm from in front of her, the field retracting back through her fingers in webs. She glanced over her shoulder at the others, all of their mouths falling open with gasps.

* * *

**Her eyes widen with terror.  
Can you feel her running through your veins  
She will always live forever  
( an you bear the burden?)  
Can you feel her running through your veins  
She will always live forever  
(Can you bear the burden?)**

**

* * *

**

Trini absently took a step back and Kimberly saw the others with the same expression worn on their faces. Kimberly swallowed and looked across the tavern to where a full mirror hung behind the bar and saw twin pink orbs looking back at her. A slight tremble eloped her, but she carefully pushed it away as she shut her eyes and pushed down her powers, if only a little bit, incase Dasku decided to attack again. She looked in to the mirror again and saw her brown eyes staring back.

"How...?" Trini murmured softly, stumbling over her thoughts.

Kimberly opened her mouth to speak, casually avoiding everyone's gaze. For so many years, she knew she would one day have to explain. She had practiced what she would say, before she could say anything Tayler spoke.

" I think we should hold this conversation for later." The yellow rangers eyes inspected the pink ranger as if she were under a microscope, but Dasku's groan split her attention. "Right now, we need to get that information, so we can save our friends."

"She's right; let's finish what we came here to do." Jen agreed in an firm tone to her voice, but Trini could see the uneasiness in her eye's as they looked at one another.

Kimberly missed the exchange between Trini and Jen, happy for the delay, but business did need to be handled if they were going to ever see Tommy and the others again. She rolled her head to release the tension in her neck and stalked over to the groaning villain at her feet. Dasku scrambled back against the bar as he stared up at her in pure fear.

_Good,_ Kimberly thought in approval.

"What- What are you? No ranger has powers like you." He said to her sternly. Now with curiosity, he said, "And the triblockulator would have for surely prevented you from using your powers."

Kimberly kneeled down in front of him till she met his eyes.

"Something, you don't want to mess with, so don't do anything stupid." The others had gathered nearby to hear. "You seem to know a lot about what's going on; tell us what you know. Where are our friend's? Who has them?"

A burst of laughter filled the wooden tavern as Dasku chuckled, manically as if he had been told the funniest thing in all the universe. His head tossed back and saliva streamed down his razor teeth and wetted his sickly yellow colored lips.

Kimberly straightened in surprise of his reaction at first, but then felt her patience and temper kick in, refueling her powers. Dasku's laugh came to a halt and a cry of pain now took over as Kim pulled him up by the neck of his cape and pushed him roughly back on to the top of the bar, his towering height half over the top of the counter. The remaining stools where knocked over on to their side and glass rolled off the counter behind the bar as the tip of his boots scraped the splinters off the floor boards. Kim's eyes were beaming with pink flames as she glared at him, holding him with far more strength than any normal girl her size would have.

Kimberly's words were icy, colder than anyone knew she was capable of forming as she spoke in a low, but firm tone. " Tell me where my friends are! Now. Or else..."

Her eyes rekindled with hot flames.

Dasku shiver in her iron on him. " Definitely not an ordinary power ranger." He chuckled softly. " I smell power, but you're still out of you league, girl. I rather meet death by you then her."

"Kim...!" Trini reached for her, but jumped back as Kimberly swung Dasku around in to a wooden chair. He collapsed in to it hard, nearly tipping over in it, but Kim made sure it was kept steady.

"The question is what will I do to you, if you don't give me the answers I want!" Kim exposed her right palm to the mirror behind the bar and a pink orb appeared within her open palm, pulsing with hot pink streaks of her energy.

"What are you doing?" Jen shouted in inquiry.

Before anyone realized what was happening, the orb left Kim's hand and sailed in to the mirror. It exploded; glass glittered with pink veins as it fell to the floor and bar around it. The aroma of alien liquor intensified as bottles popped open and emptied multi-colored liquids on to the floor, creating small pillars of white clouds of smoke and burning clear through the floors.

Dasku was frozen as he stared stunned at the results of her power, but still he knew it was a way just to get him to talk and nothing more. A smile curled his lips.

" What are you going to do? Kill me?" He said, deeply amused though the level of her power that coursed within her caused his heart to ache.

_This girl, _He thought amazed. _I've never in my life felt such power._

Kimberly took a step closer, her hand inches from his chest.

"Try me." She challenged.

Pink energy swirled in the center of her hand, forming a small orb, running currents of electricity ran around its spherical shape.

Dasku looked, one by one, at the other rangers.

"Doesn't this go against your code, rangers?" Dasku leered. "I was merely defensive when you all evaded premises you have no right to stand foot on."

"We have a right to find our friends when your kind takes them." Trini countered back.

"The red rangers, of course..." He flashed them his best smile. " Sorry to say, I didn't grab them myself."

"Who did?" Jen demanded.

"I'll tell you what I know," He said directly to Kimberly. "If you give me your word she won't kill me."

"You have our word." Trini narrowed her gazed at Kim.

There was a brief moment of hesitation before Kimberly reluctantly lowered her hand, the orb disappearing in a buff of thin mist. The fire in her eyes died and two pools of brown dawned in their place.

" Tell us what you know." Jen said coming up to Kim's side.

" Some time ago, rumors started to reach the darkest places of the universe. I, myself, am not part of this region of the universe and I heard what was rising here. It wasn't till I got here that I felt the power, myself." Dasku started.

"What were the rumors?" Dana inquired pushing him further.

" Queen Diamond has returned to this part of the galaxy to take over what was once her fathers. You might say back before you rangers, she was the true Princess of Darkness." He eyed Karone distastefully.

" Now she is Queen, one whom isn't at all, so weak to become one of you. Wouldn't you say, Astronama. Or is it Karone now?"

Karone raised her chin, proudly. " Watch what you say, Dasku. I may be on the side of good, but I have not forgotten all I have done as Astronama." Her voice was tight with Astronama's edge and deadly venom tone. "And what I could do to you now."

"Is that right?" Dasku could only smile in satisfaction.

"Get on with the information," Katie rounded to his front. " Our friends... does this, Queen Diamond have them?"

"Yes, but if I were you I would leave them for dead. Your powers are useless against hers." He pointed his gaze at Kimberly. " Even yours, pink ranger."

"You have no idea what I can do when motivated." Kimberly shot back, boldly.

"I've witnessed enough." Dasku leaned forward in his seat. "You rangers have no idea what you are dealing with. She'll kill you, just like she'll kill your friends. That is if they're not already dead."

"If she could do that, why hasn't she shown up sooner? Why didn't I know of her?" Karone inquired.

"She was thought to be dead. When her father died many years ago, no one knew what happened to her. Not even Dark Spector. Of course then, he was a servant to her father's as you were to Dark Spector." Dasku explained.

"Why did she take the red rangers? Why not all the rangers?" Kendrix asked in curiosity.

"I don't know the answer to that." Dasku shrugged. "I've told you all I know. You'll keep your word?"

Karone leaned closer to Trini, keeping her voice down. " We should be able to get more answers from Elder Heida on Queen Diamond." Trini nodded in agreement.

" I think we got all we needed. Let's start to move out of here. "Trini looked back to Dasku. "My word is kept."

Kim folded her arms over her chest as her eyes met her appointed leader and childhood friend in annoyance. _We shouldn't let him go._ Kimberly mused. _He said it for himself, he's not from this part of the universe, he's here for a reason._  
_  
But what else can we do, if we don't let him go?_

* * *

**Can you feel her running through your veins  
She will always live forever  
( an you bear the burden?)  
Can you feel her running through your veins  
She will always live forever  
(Can you bear the burden?)**

* * *

The answer caused fiery heat up and down Kim's arms. None that was visible to the eye.

Tanya informed Katie about Alpha being stored away upstairs and minutes later, they returned with Katie cradling Alpha 5 in her arms as if he were a newborn baby. Taverist was in tow looking around at the large mess with a displeasing eye. A string of curse words came muttered from his thin lips.

The rangers began to move towards the door, but Kimberly didn't move. Her arms were tightly folded over her chest as Dasku looked up at her, studying her as if he were looking right into her.

"I never thought I'd see the day, when a power ranger would become like you." His eye's narrowed. " Out for blood are we?"

Kimberly was disturbed by the question, but not surprised the question was asked, she had often asked herself the same thing. What have I turned into? Kim thought in disgust of herself, remembering the fear on Trini and the others faces.

"Kim?" Trini called.

" I feel it in you, pink ranger. You feel it in you." Dasku continued ignoring the others presence. Kimberly tensed at his words. " Something is dark within you. Those powers you contain are not natural, far too much for a ranger to contain. I feel it... see it in your inflamed eyes when you watch me fall to your supremacy. Your no better than the evil you fight."

Kimberly's jaw was set and her hands were now trembling fists at her sides as Dasku smiled in glee of his own revelation. But wasn't it true...? Wasn't she evil?

"Help me!"

The little girl.

Tommy.

She caused so much pain, Kim wasn't sure whom she was anymore. Or rather she should be on this mission.

The fear in Trini's eyes after she touched her.

The fear of the others after her hidden powers were put on display.

They all feared her.

She was untrustworthy. A monster.

"Kimberly," Trini's hand was placed on her left shoulder, shaking Kim from her absorbing thoughts. "It's time to leave." Kim nodded glancing briefly into her once best friend's eyes.

She was always able to tell Trini anything...

Kim nodded, but looked at Dasku one last time, her own eyes pored in to his disfigured face. Funny, how the next few words came so naturally from her lips.

" If I hear that you told anyone we were here and why...I'll find you. And then, I'll kill you."

...Times were different now.

It had to be.

* * *

**Can you feel her running through your veins  
She will always live forever**

* * *

The rangers left from where ever they came from, leaving Dasku in their wake to ponder what had occurred, he re-evaluated the situation.

He had to admit, their attack had been unexpected this soon, the device was for future encounters and unfortunately it was the only device he contained. However, none of that mattered, the ranger they called Kimberly was immune to the stolen alien technology. She out matched him easily, and in the end, he had failed.

Failed, for the first and last time.

Dasku stood, collecting his sword from the ground as the owner of the bar went about his business in cleaning up the place. He walked up to him, his footsteps causing the loose floorboards to creak and whine beneath his weight.

"You gave them the Alpha...?"

Taverist looked up to meet his eyes, but they only saw the sole of his boots peaking through his long, dashing robes. Dasku replaced his sword back into its case at his side.

"...I worked hard to get that robot."

Dasku left, the tavern, business was permanently closed on Oynx. Rumors said, the owner lost his head.

Literally.

* * *

**************A/N: Lol, this chapter was nifty! I loved rewriting it! Please, please, please REVIEW! I want to hear what people think, its important to me. No flames, cause I put myself down enough for everyone, haha. I love this chapter though, so I have high hopes. Also, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Totallysweetc for all the extra reviews written to get me to post sooner. It worked! **

**************The song is called 'Her Portrait In Black' By Atreyu. It inspired the title and feel of this chapter. I literally listened to it over and over till this chapter was done being rewritten. I'm a metal head, haha. Look the video up on youtube.  
**

**************Please excuse any misspellings and grammer errors. I'm stubborn today.**

**************EclipsingFlames **

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	11. Seeing Red And The Heart Beneath It

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**Seeing Red And The Heart Beneath It **

_

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_

_Tommy woke up to the sound of waves and the sun layering his bare chest delicately with warmth. The pain that swam within his head no longer throbbed and his body was unbeaten and clean from blood. He looked down at himself, shirtless and wearing black swim shorts with his bare feet buried under powdered sand. When he stood, he recognized instantly that he was on shores of Angel Grove beach, completely desolated._

The sun began to touch the oceans surface, transforming the sky into a beautiful blend of gold and pink with light brushes of purple. The waves were coming to a calm, folding toward him in light rolls that was when he felt her presence.

Right on time.

She walked towards him, outlined in the sunsets golden rays, her eyes never leaving his as she smiled widely at him. Her hair was down and flowing pass her shoulders and her petite body embraced nicely in a white bikini top and matching mini white skirt. She looked gorgeous, every movement of her body tying him into pure ecstasy.

"Tommy." Her voice spread like honey over his heart as she stood directly in front of him with lustful eyes.

Tommy held her to him, instantly, his hands roaming across her back, massaging the smooth muscles beneath her tan skin with his palms. She relaxed into his embrace, her arms encircling around his waist and head rested against his toned chest. Tommy was sure she could feel his heart pounding against his chest and his body quivering with fear that she would leave him. Finally, he pulled back only to crest her face within his hands and met her golden, hazel eyes with his chocolate ones, the colors pouring into one another.

"Beautiful..." He said in a light whisper.

He pressed his lips against hers, missing the warmth of pouty lips and sweet tongue, slipping in and out between his lips. He loved that. He held her tighter, his arms firmly around her waist and her arms folded around his neck. Her fingers poured themselves in to his spiked hair, kindling infernos within his chest. She moaned as he sucked gently on her lips and tongue, his body craving the strawberry cream she tasted of as he inhaled the candy of her skin.

Soon, the desperation of air over came them both and reluctantly, they broke their lips seal against one another, gasping for breath.

Tommy looked at the woman in his hold, something he could spend the rest of his life doing, admiring, show every inch of her worth to him. Tears were pooling in her eyes and Tommy realized tears were forming in his.

"I missed you, so much. " Tommy cried softly. She pressed her forehead against his, her hands running up and down his chest. His fingers trailed across her chin. " I didn't think..."

Her fingers pressed against his lips, silencing him.

"I promised you I would come back."

Tommy's eyes shut momentarily, if she hadn't been holding him right then, he knew for sure he would have been floating, her words wrapping themselves around him. He felt a comfortable warmth swim through his body and opened his eyes to no longer see her, but a crane, draped in pink light.

Tommy held the crane at arm length. The birds eyes glittered hazel and pulsed with pink streaks that soon consumed both eyes, but even then, Tommy only saw her eyes.

His beautiful's eyes.

Her tears radiated with the pink light that coated her feathers. The crane spread her wings and caught a hold to a breeze. Tommy watched as it flew towards the sunset, pink diamonds falling on to the water behind her.

"Kimberly, wait!" Tommy shouted behind her. He ran into the water trying to catch up with her, until the water reached his waist. " Please...Kim!"

The crane flew till the setting sun covered her pink glow, leaving Tommy alone and still looking after her.

* * *

Tommy awoke to the chill of the chamber throwing ice down his body in daggers. His body was propped up taunt against the cold metal wall, his lone body heat doing little justice to keep him warm. His heart lapped painfully within his chest and his head filled with pressure that multiplied in the cold.

"You all right?"

Tommy eyed the youngest and rookie of them all. He was worried about him more than the others, Shane lacking in experience compared to the rest. The ninja storm ranger's body quaked and he could see streaks of blood leaking down his chest through his shredded gray t-shirt, but he remained strong and alert non- the- less making Tommy proud. He stared back at Tommy, pulling in deep painful breath and blowing out puffs of steam pass his lips.

"I've been better." Tommy replied, trying to shift slightly in his cuffs.

"You looked like you were dreaming." Shane spoke softly.

Tommy shut his eyes, recalling the dream, the magnificent crane that was Kimberly. He had no clue to what it meant, but every now and then, the dreams provoked him, teased his heart to the point he believed it would combust within his chest. Why her? Why Kimberly after all these years? After all the time it took him to move on? Had he moved on?

Why did he still love her?  
" Yeah," He saw in the corner of his eye that Jason had woken fully from his restless slumber. The determination to get any sleep had failed them all.

" I can't even keep my eyes shut for a good five minutes. " Jason muttered with frustration in his voice.

"Tell me about it," Wes spoke. " It's freezing in here." Murmurs of agreement came from the other red rangers in the form of grunts.

"Yeah. I think they're trying to kill us." Leo said with flat humor. No one laughed, laughing caused pain to erupt in their chests and strain their throats as if they were bleeding. "Let's face it, rather or not they get the crystal, we're as good as dead."

The sound of locks being turned sounded from the other side of the chamber door and the rangers tensed in alarm. Jason and Tommy looked at one another for a moment each of their eyes reflecting fear.

The door hissed open casting a flood of blinding white light to attack each ranger's vision. Slowly, their eyes swam into focus to meet the hunting, burning red eyes. She entered, her hips swaying slowly from side to side as if to stretch the piercing sound of her heels. Her eyes bored into each of them and her hand brushed their torsos, fingers purposely dragging across open wounds, an affect much more gruesome than salt. She stopped in the center of the room, her head general observing them from the entrance and only exit to the cell.

Tommy swallowed.

Something is going on, He mused. Diamond was confident and showed it graciously to them each that that just with the tip of her finger she could kill them whenever she pleased. Her greeting them with her presence could only mean one of two things: She was there to kill them or torture them through integration.

Tommy tensed as the clicking resumed.

Click

Click

Click

She stopped... right in front of Tommy. Her smile spread wide, revealing her clean white teeth framed with crimson red lips; the same color as her deathly, abnormal eyes. Her electric blond hair was flawless and laid just as flawlessly around her face, the rest of its length cascading down pass her shoulders. Her perfectly manicured nails gleamed crimson, tapping against the long sleeved black dress she wore. The V-neck front of her dress dropped down her chest just above her stomach, displaying a silver necklace with a black rose jewel hanging between her peaking bosoms. Her bell ended sleeves tented around her slender, ringed fingers and the hem of her dress falling around her ankles and black heeled sandals.

The look she was giving him was enough to push him into illness. Her eyes seemed to burn right into him, ripping away the thick layers that made him a strong ranger and leader of the team. He wanted to look away, but at the same time, the red pools of eyes enslaved him, keeping him glued to her pointed stare.

A long, soft purr flowed from her lips, like a siren luring him to his death; Tommy to clench his teeth in sickness of their intent. Her hand lay on his cheek, fingers lightly brushing his lips. Tommy snapped his head to the side, tugging at his restraints that kept him in place, trying to escape her touch.

"Oh, Tommy..." She moaned softly, both her hands gripping on to his head so that he was forced to look at her. "Did we have a bad dream?"

"Get you hands off me," Tommy threatened between his gritted teeth.

"My, my aren't we grumpy," She pushed his head back against the wall behind him, sending dull shocks of pain traveling down his spine at the hard connection of his skull against cold metal. Tommy's cheeks puffed as he with held the agony. Her fingers raked through his spiked hair-do, the tips of her fingers massaging his scalp. She leaned in purposely, pressing her chest tightening against his, like a femme fatale. Tommy cringed, his emotions exposed inside and out.

" I felt you, stirring in your dreams. Reaching out to someone, but what I want to know is who? Who is it that you reach for night after night? I've kept quite an eye on you, Tommy, you can't hide from me." Her lips slightly grazed his ear. Tommy felt sick, his heart starting to quicken within his chest. " I think it is obvious that I need to remove whomever your heart holds dearest, in order for me to get what I crave," She looked him now dead in the eye. The way her red eyes gleamed, like dark rubes caused him to shiver. " Don't you think so, red ranger?"

" I don't know what you're talking about." Tommy spoke calmly though he was starting to become a little shaken.

"We told you, we don't know where your crystal is; we don't even know what you're talking about." Jason roared, struggling in his cuffs. An energy orb struck his chest, causing his body to stretch out in shock and his mouth to open into a wordless cry. The energy soon drained from his body, leaving him leaning heavily forward in his chains, gasping for breath.

The other red ranger's all fought against their restraints at the sight of her powers seeping through him, but it was no use. The metal that gripped their wrists and ankles held on to each of them tightly. With a smirk of approval, she made eyed each ranger, her palm landing on them all, one by one. A silent threat to not be interrupted again passed with each contact.

" The prophecy tells me otherwise: Within the strength of warriors the power is born in red, lurking beneath the heart the crystal is folded in hand." She quoted from something none of them recognized. " One of you has it, there is no mistaken that." She turned back to Tommy her hand replaced back on top his forehead. " And since, you are considered the greatest of them all, it is you who will pay first for keeping me from what is rightfully mine... I'll take away what you cherish as you have chosen to do to me."

Her hand glowed a rose colored red against his forehead, heat radiating of her slender hand and pulsing through his blood as if she reached right into him and grabbed on to his very soul. Tommy felt his mind open to her, like a book full of pages, and she turned them till she found just what she sought. Tommy fought to resist, but his body was paralyzed to her power. She read the pages of his subconscious mind, practically tearing his heart to pieces as she smiled at new discoveries. Her hand removed from his head and Tommy pulled in deep breaths, his forehead beaded with cold sweat that burned his skin. Tears swam in his eyes as he saw the images of what she was prying through relapse in his mind.

The beach.

The pink glowing crane

Kimberly...

* * *

**Author's Note: My beta-reader (Rickey) was able to help me with this chapter, so hopefully its okay. I wanted to get this chapter out of the way to bring some focus back to the red rangers, before I posted the long awaited chapter of the intergation of Kimberly and the revival of Alpha 5. **

**EclipsingFlames **

**  
**  



	12. Black And Withering Roses

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**Heave the silver hollow sliver  
Piercing through another victim  
Turn and tremble be judgmental  
Ignorant to all the symbols  
Blind the face with beauty paste  
Eventually you'll one day know...**

**- Wasteland by 10 Years**

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**Black And Withering Roses **

* * *

Kim went to the tech bay room and found a spot near a window that outlooked the millions of stars flooding the distant planet Onyx. She leaned heavily against the wall, exhausted in every possible way, from the battle with Dasku... and the revealing of her powers. Kim thought that she could be careful, keep that darkness to herself, but avoiding the painful truth was a falsehood on its own. Her powers were apart of her and Kim knew she couldn't hide herself from the others for very long. 

The others didn't say anything to her, nor did she allow them the chance to as she gave all her attention to Cassie, Tanya, and Trini working on Alpha 5. Kimberly's heart was crushed with emotions for her dear friend, the sight of him limp and lifeless engraving into her mind. His body was rusted and cratered with dents burnt black, guts of wires and circuitry spilling out along his chest. His visor was broken and arm ripped entirely from his body.

To anyone who never meant an Alpha robot, knew that they were more than a machine; they lived, burned with life and their very own emotions that allowed them to feel. They had a heart regardless of how they were crafted, making the sight even more sickening.

Kim crossed her arms over her chest and watched the three rangers at work. The air was thickening with tension, the tavern chaos still on each of their minds. She met Trini's eyes briefly, neither able to keep the contact, before Trini went back to the repairs and Kim's gaze, back to the stars or her best friend, they were working to repair.

" They really messed him up bad; almost beyond repair. His circuitry is practically fried, but I think we can replace some parts, others I don't even recognize at all." Cassie removed a burnt microchip plate and studied the piece, held by a pair of needle nose pliers.

" Alpha 5 is an older model; even if we knew all the parts we needed to make the repairs, they wouldn't work. He needs an complete upgrade and without the right technology, we can't provide that for him." Trini said, setting her tools down with a soft thump. Frustration was masked on her delicate features.

"What does that mean?" Kimberly spoke, verbalizing her presence in the room for the first time.

"It means that even if we're able to get Alpha back online, it wouldn't be too long before his operations completely shutdown and his memory chips become erased." Tanya signed, placing a hand on the robots odd shaped head. "The Alpha we know would be gone. Permanently."

Kim sprung from the wall to the table, where Alpha was laid out with tools at his sides. Trini came to Cassie's side across the table from Kim and Tanya, seeing the aggression burning through Kim.

"So that's it?" Kimberly looked at each of them with harden eyes. " You're just going to give up? There has to be something you can do."

"Kim, its hard for us to say this as much as it is for you to hear it, but there's nothing we can do. We tried everything." Trini tried to speak in a calm tone of voice, but her heart gave out to the rising despair of the pink ranger and the one lifeless on the table.

"If you tried everything, Trini, you wouldn't be telling me this." Kim snapped.

"Well at least I can tell you the truth when you need to hear it." Trini shot back. Kimberly felt the comment hit her heart with a ton of bricks, but didn't let Trini see how much it hurt her.

_I'm not telling you the truth, because you wouldn't understand, Trini. _Kimberly wanted to cry out to her in reply, to make her understand all the things she's been through, but knew it was something she couldn't do.

Not yet.

"You guys, stop it." Tanya said, raising her hands in the air to settle the fuming tension in the room. She looked between Kim and Trini and back again, trying to grasp on to eye contact with them, so they would hear her. " We all care about Alpha and we all hate to face this, but we have to."

"Tanya is right." Cassie agreed, laying down her tools. " This is hard, we all know that, but the truth is we have to do this. If this Queen Diamond is as lethal as Dasku warned us, we'll need to be prepared. What if Alpha knows something? What If Zordon knew something?"

"We have to revive him, even if we know what is going to happen." Trini crossed her arms tightly over her chest looking away from Kim and down at Alpha.

" D.E.C.A., alert the rangers. Tell them to meet us in the tech bay room."

"**Command, understood." **D.E.C.A. said, then repeating the command to the others around the ship.

Tanya sighed tiredly, taking the break to massage the tightness that gathered around her neck. Cassie collected what equipment she need to put the finishing touches on Alpha 5 and stored away what things she wouldn't need.

Kimberly hugged her arms around herself, finding her way back to the window as she sank back into her meditation. She sought out her anguish and tried to lower the strong emotion with reasoning, but no amount of logic could take away the situation they were in. Even if the heros heart bleeds, sometimes you had to sacrifice one for many. Kim felt the tears well up in her eyes, her heart shivered and tensed in realization.

Alpha 5 was going to die.

Trini's fists tighten at her sides and her jaw set. She hated this. She hated that this had to be the right thing to do just for information. It wasn't a fact that Alpha knew anything about what was happening at all, but the chances were too great; the time was too precise. If Taverist knew about Queen Diamond and had given them Alpha, that had to mean something.

Alpha 5 was captured for a reason.

Still, knowing that, Trini felt no better knowing they were going to restore life into the droid, just to slowly terminate what life he had left.

Across the room, she watched Kimberly absorb herself into meditation as her body lightly waved with thermors. Trini wished she knew the connection between her and Alpha, the flashs in her mind recaping in rapid bleeps of images and emotions. Trini couldn't describe the the feeling in words, she just felt as if she were in entire different being, under different skin with other blood cells running beneath. She wanted to say it was her, her feeling, her breathing, her memories, but they weren't. Deep within her heart, she just knew... it was Kimberly. It was her breathing, being, emotions, memories.

It was all Kimberly.

All remembrance of times she shared with Alpha.

_Is it possible Alpha knew where Kim was all this time? _Trini mused. _That he knew about her powers?_

_

* * *

_

Silently, everyone entered, gathering around the table witnessing the work that was done.

Trini nodded to Cassie and the pink ranger took a moment to work a few wires along Alpha's chest penal.

" Here goes nothing." She inserted the last computer chip within Alpha's body and replaced the cover plate back into place. Everyone held their breath as they waited for any signs of life. Cassie's shoulders dropped. " I guess, the circuit breakers were more damaged than we-"

Suddenly, Alpha's front panels came to life, lights turned on and a low hum rumbled from within the droids metel chest. His visor glowed a soft red and pulsed as his words came out jumbled together in gibberish.

"Danerrangersyoumustbewarned.Rangers..." Alpha's arm moved at his side as he tried to sit up on the table. "Systemoverload..." He repeated the same words, over and over again.

"We have to get him up, before he rolls off the table." Kimberly said. With Trini's help they both sat Alpha up into a seated position. Kim grabbed on to Alpha's right gloved hand to stop him from frailing his arm frantically in the air. "Alpha, it's me, Kimberly. Can you remember me?"

Alpha's arm flung wildy and his saucer shaped head tossed from side to side.

" CircuitoverloadCircuitoverload.Stablize.Stablize..." Alpha's voice fused in a mixture of pitches and tones. He kicked his legs and his body tossed across the surface of table, threating to be flung from the edge in his wildness.

Aisha and Tanya each grabbed for a leg and held it down to keep him from kicking.

"We have to do something before we lose him completely." Kat stressed, helping Aisha hold down Alpha's leg.

"Let me try something," Trini took off Alpha's back panel and tempered with the few wires, before Alpha calmed, each of his limbs relaxing from their quicken gestures. Trini reclosed the panel and took a step back. "That should do it. Alpha, how are now?"

"Functions appear to be online." Alpha reported. He looked around at his new surroundings. "Greetings rangers."

"Alpha!" Kim beamed, throwing her arms around him.

"Kimberly! Ay,yi,yi." He hugged her back with his only arm. "It is good to see you are well."

"And you as well." She replied, though the look from Cassie reminded her that Alpha would not last long, before his functions would fail, permentantly. The mere thought of losing him, terrified her.

"I missed you." Kim's voice trembled with much emotion.

"I missed you as well, Kimberly." Alpha said, just as heartfelt.

Trini saw the way they each hold on to one anothers hand and secrets pass from one anothers eyes, that casted the rest of them, who stood by silently, in the darkness.

For Trini, she hadn't seen Alpha, since she and Jason were brought back to the command chamber after the defeat of Maligore, but for Kim, it should have been longer. Yet, from the knowledge she collect through that memory spell back at the Tavern, seeing them now was only proof that fueled her questions. Mystery seemed to revolve around Kim, digging Trini deeper into a deeper pit of curiousity and confusion on what exactly had happen to her during those years she had disappeared.

" My systems report that I have been severly damaged and that I shall soon be inoperable." Alpha acknowledged, outloud.

" No, we can find a way..." Kimberly looked anxiously to Cassie and Tanya, but their silence insinuated the truth of the little robot's accurateness. Kim's free hand clenched upon defeat of something, so inevitable for even her own powers to correct. Alpha's hand squeezed back lightly at hers.

" My time was meant to come and I am happy to pass amongst my friends." He said to them all softly, Kim curled her fingers tightly around his on. Alpha held on to her hand just as tightly, wishing he had lips to give her smile. " What year is it?"

"Its year 2003." Kat told him, softly. "How long have you been shutdown?"

Alpha stared ahead in thought.

"My data logs inform me that my last memory entry is of the year 2000."

"Alpha, what happened to you?" Trini inquired, placing a hand on the droids shoulder. " We thought you were on your home plant, Edenoi, for all these years, and then we found you on Planet Oynx, like this."

Alpha lowered his head and sighed, sadly.

" I'm afraid it is a long story..." He looked forward and focused on nothing particular, as he recalled the past few years within his memory.

" A lot has happened in the last few days, Alpha." Tanya began, flattening her hands on the table. " Tommy and Jason as well as every leader throughout the years of power ranger have been taken by some new enemy named Queen Diamond."

"Queen Diamond, Ayi yi yi yi!" Alpha threw his arm up in the air as his voice expressed his distress. " Then, it's true! Rangers, if Queen Diamond has the red rangers, then we all are in grave danger."

"You've heard of her?" Kim inquired.

"Yes, Zordon and I had hoped this time would never come." He placed his hand on his head as he collected his thoughts.

"What can you tell us about her?" Jen stepped forward. "Why did she take them?"

"I will tell you all I know." Alpha looked at the room full of rangers as he spoke. "Thousands of years ago, there was a being named Frinan. He was the last of his people that were a dying race due to the terrorization of a morbid King named Dimenis. King Dimenis reigned over several parts of the universe on his own and beneath his command he empowered Dark Spector and all those you've come fight in the past."

"When you say all those we fought in the past, you mean like Queen Bansheera and Trankena?" Kelsey asked, along side Alyssa and Kendrix.

"Rita and Lord Zedd, even Divatox?" Kat added their names with an amused tone of voice. The thought of them three being apart of something so elite seemed almost beyond belief.

Alpha nodded.

"I'm afraid so, rangers." Alpha confirmed, before continuing. "King Dimenis was the first preeminent being of his kind, all those who feared him, served under him or were killed an act against him. Frinan could no longer withstand King Dimenis' ways and with determination to avenge the King for the torture caused on his world, he went to the ends of the universe for power to stop him.

"What he found was a power beyond what evil could ever strive to reach in its potential. The Light Crystal of Amora."

The name caped the air, profound and passionately intense words to the rangers ears that they knew must have held a great importance.

"With the crystal, Frinan was able to rebuild worlds and birth new planets for those whom sought homes. He protected the innocent and entrapped warlords that ruled assigned sectors of the galaxy near his home world." Alpha continued.

"And with his new purpose to restore peace, he entitled himself with a new name: the White Wizard. As many kindly beings spoke of him to be."

"How did you and Zordon come to know of him?" Maya asked, balancing her weight on to one leg as she knitted her fingers together.

"The time of the White Wizard existed before I was established. Zordon, himself, was a mere child." Alpha answered.

Kimberly could hear an odd hum whistle softly from within Alpha's body and noticed one of the lights along his chest slightly flicker, in and out, before beaming solid again.

"Alpha, are you okay?" Kimberly eyed him for any abnormal signs across his body.

"My systems are beginning to start the first phase of final termination." Alpha replied softly, reaching out once again for Kimberly's hand. He was as scared of death as all living things were. Kimberly gripped his hand tightly.

"Alpha…" Trini touched his side and all those who knew him well during their service as a ranger, pulled in tighter to their dear friend.

"I must continue." Alpha 5 said, strong willed and determined. No one stopped him.

" As you may have guess, Queen Diamond is King Dimenis' spawn and for centuries had been to believed dead. But Zordon had for years felt an odd disturbance in the fabric of space around the planet Earth that led him to believe that galaxy would be the first to be attacked, since it was indeed defenseless. With me appointed as Zordon's aid after his entrapment within a time warp, we re-located to Earth and a waited the day when the first threat would attack the people that inhabited the world. With five powerful coins that Zordon would then dispute to five chosen warriors."

"Us." Trini met Kimberly gaze across the table.

"Yes, Trini. You, Kimberly, Jason, Zack, and Billy were those chosen at birth." Alpha 5 looked between Zordon's first chosen with pride.

"Zordon knew it would be us all a long?" Kim had always wondered how Zordon knew more about themselves than they saw in themselves the first time they were introduced to the intergalactic being and his aid.

"Yes," Alpha paused, staring ahead as his body gave a slight jerk forward as if he had been shoved. Trini and Kim arms latched out to hold the droid steady as the whistle within Alpha's chest became more louder to Kim's ears, sparks and wires sizzling. The others now heard it as well in a very faint hissing sound.

Alpha carried on knowing his time was near.

"Nearly three years ago, before I was shutdown, Zordon and I were informed of a great distress developing and made immediate plans to return to Eltar for a meeting with the peace alliance between planets that include, Eltar, KO- 35, Aquiatar, my own home world, and several others. The disturbance in space that Zordon had felt for centuries had grew stronger and we could not ignore the fact it wasn't the empires that had tried to attack Earth before. When Dark Specter arrived, the alliance was convinced it was his power that was felt, but Zordon needed to be sure and take every pre-caution. That was when he assigned a task for me to decode a journal he had first revealed to me: the Amora journal.

"I spent months forwarding all the data to Alpha 6, while the Turbo rangers defended Earth under the guidance of Dimitria. Zordon also instructed me to other tasks that called for me to part with him. It was not long after that I found out Zordon was captured by Astronama and Dark Specter."

Everyone, including Alpha, glanced sympathetically at Karone to show there was no hard feelings over the past she had no control over, but in spite of their tender compassion, Karone bowed her head in shame. Those years were still sore to her heart.

"So now, Queen Diamond is here years later, when Zordon is gone and you were decommissioned, for what exactly?" Katie inquired still at a lost. "Her share on trying to defeat the power rangers?"

" So far, she's doing a pretty good job." Taylor grumbled, pensively.

"Diamond is here for the crystal, which took her father's life." Alpha said, the tone of his voice slightly off and his body shivering with light tremors. "Her father had succeeded in taking the White Wizard's life with his weapon, but the crystal killed him on its on and disappeared, never to be seen again."

"So the question is asked again," Alyssa spoke up for the first time in the room.

" Why just take the red ranger? Why didn't she just destroy us all, if none of us has the crystal?"

"To summon…. the crystal." Alpha could feel the energy in his circuitry rapidly begin to drain as he spoke, but he knew he had to relay as much information as he could, before his last circuit breaker died and his memory slipped away into nothing. " It is a theory… that the crystal can be summoned again…. by warriors of red, a last…. prediction of the White Wizard's leaked by oracles and Wicca's of many worlds ….for thousands of years. Diamond knows the …red rangers are of… that prophesy, but there is still a chance, she doesn't… know how to carry on…. with the ritual on bringing forth the crystal. She may… believe that the crystal is… with them already."

"So until Diamond gets the crystal, she believes they have," Tori began. "They stay alive."

"At least until she gets tired of waiting." Jen added. "Or finds a way to summon it."

Silence passed over the group as all Alpha had told them settled into their minds.

" R- rangers, it is...ssssss... very... important that you all... understand that... Diamond exceeds all enemies...ssss... you have ever faced before. She wants...sssss... the crystal, not because she...she...ssssss... is vulnerable without it, but...ssss.. because it is the only...sssss... p-power out there to ssssstop her and make her sssss...have the ulitimate power. Ayi yi yi yiiiiiiiiiii."

Static resumed in his voice and his body jerked roughly. The lights on his chest and visor went haywire. Trini and Kim grabbed him trying to hold him steady, as the other held down his legs from wildly thrashing.

"Alpha, how do can we stop her? What can we do?" Trini shouted over the chaos that swept through his body.

Alpha's voice, respond in various sounds of static and pitches, but the words he said were shapeless and formed nothing but noise. Small pillars of steam began to leak through his chest plate.

"Alpha!" Kimberly shouted, grasping on to his hand as tears glazed over her eyes, and over flow her lashes. "Wait, Okay? Not yet, I can try to save you. I can."

" It is time, Kim-ber-ly…." Alpha shuddered and stiffed as his words soften to a mere whisper. "Thirty seconds…. till permanent shutdown…and my memory…will die…. I will die."

"Alpha, I'm so sorry. I should have looked for you. I should have looked…" Kimberly sobbed. Everyone hushed the pink ranger clenched the Alpha's hand as if it were the only thing left to keep her standing.

"Everything is how it should be. You're home…with your friends. Be what you are… meant to be." Alpha could feel the last seconds of his life slipping away.

Trini came to Kimberly's side and placed her hand on top of hers and Alpha's as Kat, Tanya, and Aisha came to stand beside them. Trini felt tears crawl down her cheeks as she paid her last respects.

"Sword…find the sword of…" Alpha 5's words were never finished as he found himself blanketed in an eternal sleep.

* * *

**Hours Later...**

* * *

" I'm assuming something is wrong, I have a team ready to help you guy's-" 

"No we're fine. We made it to and from planet Oynx, fine."

"Then, what is so important you had to contact me at 3 in the morning, that couldn't wait till later?"

Billy didn't mean to come off hot tempered or unhappy to hear that she and the others were safe, it was just the after effects of spending days engaged in work that needed to be tended to with the other rangers still on Earth. With his extentive knowledge and contact with Aquatarian techs, he was needed to divide his time between different projects, while carrying on with his own. Trini understood, Billy was known for taking on so much at a time and on many occasions got so envolved, he would forget to take a break and rest.

Trini was beginning to feel his pain.

"Alpha 5 is dead, Billy." Trini informed the former blue ranger. He paused, hoping he had heard incorrectly, but when she confirmed it again, Billy heard her loud and clear.

Billy's hands grasped on to his sandy blond hair as his heart pounded against his chest upon the disturbing news. He looked at Trini through his laptop computer screen, she could see the tears treatening to fall. She knew Billy had always saw Alpha as an equal and friend, and that if anyone needed to know about his death first Billy would have to be the one.

"When? How?" He wanted to know, after a breif and aching silence.

Trini sat in the chair in front of the ships main computer with a sigh as she recalled the past events and told them to Billy.

" Did you know about her powers? How did she get them in the first place? And why not tell us about them? Her team? Me?" Trini went on as anger drifted into her voice. "You should have seen her, Billy. Her eyes were glowing pink, like Tommy's eyes did when he was turned into the evil green ranger, only not with flames like hers."

"I know." Billy sighed.

Trini frowned as she scooted herself forward to the edge of her seat.

"What do you mean you knew? You knew Kimberly had these powers?" Her voice began to rise.

Billy raised his hands to calm her. "I found out a few months ago, it's a long story. One that I think Kimberly should tell you, herself."

"So you keep telling me." Trini grumbled.

Billy leaned closer to the screen. Trini noticed, he looked more older than he had in the pass few days, since she last saw him.

"Look, I know you're provoked by this, but as I said before, Kimberly has changed. She's not the same person we grew up with, there were things that happened to her..things she's done, that has affected her."

Trini groaned in fustration as she massaged her temples. She knew deep down she shouldn't take out her fustrations on Billy, they were both tired and stressed, with the deep concern of their friends held heavily in their minds.

"The team... they're going to need some answers. I'm going to need answers." Trini said as her finger wondered idly through her hair. " I have my concerns about Kim and these powers she has. You should have seen the way she used them, when she battled Dasku."

"You know as well as I do that Kim will come through."

Trini spoke finally, though her voice still held uncertainty as she said, " I hope so."

Trini scooped her long hair away from her face to rest behind her shoulders as she sat forward in her seat. " There's more Billy; Alpha said something about the Light Crystal of Amora and somekind of journal translations that he forwarded to Alpha 6 thats supposed to set everything in perspective for us. Would you happen to know about anything containing those things?"

Billy's hand went to his chin as he thought for a second, before coming to a conclusion. " No. Alpha and Zordon never spoke of anything concerning those subjects."

" You're positive?"

"I'll look through some of the old command centers files and see if I can locate any data I may have over looked and try to get ahold to Alpha 6 on Mirinoi. I can tell you that I have never obtained any knowledge of any Crystal of Amora nor any journal translations." Billy emphasized looking at the large heap of print outs and software around his laptop. "Yet."

"Well, when you come up with anything, let us know. Alpha was positive that was the reason why the red rangers were taken in the first place." Trini informed him.

"One of them has the crystal?" Billy frowned.

"I don't think so," Trini shook her head. " Alpha said that through them, the crystal can be summoned and if she gets her hand on that… I don't think the power rangers will be enough."

"I get the picture. I'll do all I can." Billy's face, darken. " But now that we know more about Diamond, I think its best all of you return to Earth."

"I'm not doing that, Billy." She replied. Trini intended to stay resolved with the original plan.

"Trini-"

"Billy, no!" Trini snapped. " I am not leaving Jason there to die and there is nothing you can say to me that will change my mind."

There was a moment's pause between the two, before Billy, not for the first time, sighed in defeat against Trini Kwan.

" Let me guess," The scientist spoke. " The elder in KO-35?"

"Its our best bet right now."

Billy nodded, feeling his hands shake as a sudden weariness washed over him.

Trini watched Billy through the screen and wished she could be there to console her friend. Since their first day as rangers, Billy was the one who spent the majority of his time in the command center, learning about all the operations, while he became closer to their mentor and humanoid assistant. Watching the former blue ranger, she knew he was still taking the news just as hard as she had, if not twice as hard, and realized how wrong it was of her to try to carry on with business without trying to be there for him.

" Billy, don't do it now, okay? You're over worked and clearly exhausted. On top of everything, we've just lost a dear friend to us."

" Trini, I understand your concerns, but despite everything, there is still much to be completed." Billy sat forward in his desk chair. " I've been conversing with Ms. Fairweather and Captin Michell of lightspeed. We came to a conclusion that we would construct new weapons, zords, and even new morphers for us. I think its best we take every precaution."

" I agree."

" You as well as every other remaining ranger. Everyone has been intensively training and preparing themselves for the ultimatium. I even got ahold to a few old friends of ours." He managed to grin through his exhausted expression.

" Adam, Rocky, Zack and I have been pulling a few hours of training ourselves."

Trini smiled softly. " So have we. I just help it all pays off, Billy."

" So do I, Trini." Billy said, softly. " So do I."

* * *

"Trini," Jen entered with the others close behind. " I think we need to talk." 

Trini glanced over her shoulder from her seat in front of the communication controls and saw that everyone, minus Kim, had come to gather behind her. Trini directed her chair around and met Aisha's eyes as she stood.

"Where's Kim?"

"She's still in the tech bay with Alpha 5." Aisha responded, coming to her side.

"What's going on?" Trini asked Jen, who seemed to be taking the lead for the others.

"We want to know what's going on with Kimberly." Jen answered as f it were plain and simple.

"I think we deserve some answers." Taylor added, crossing her arms over her chest. The women formed a semicircle before Trini.

"We all know that all those things she was able to do at the Tavern, shouldn't be possible, unmorphed." Kendrix said, shaking her head as she recalled the previous events, baffled.

" Plus, we don't really know her," Katie also pointed out. She was not so bothered by the fact that the petite woman carried powers, but rather her constant attitude and distance, that made her stand out the tight circle the other rangers were forming. Katie felt she could relate to Kim, if she ever got to know her. Kim wasn't the only one with abnormal abilities, but compared to her own enhanced strength, there was no telling for sure what all Kimberly could do. " And she doesn't seem to want to get to know us."

"We just want to know what's going on," Alyssa toyed with her fingers as she looked at Trini.

Trini nodded as she looked around, thoughts beginning to crowd into her mind. She met Tanya and Kat's eyes, both demeanors suggesting it was her choice. She met Aisha's eyes, an agreement formed between the two.

"You're right," Trini said, slowly accepting that they needed an answer. What they would say or do when they found out she didn't have all the answers was what she was worried about.

_Would they still want Kim on the team? As much as they need answers, I need to talk to Kim._ Trini mused.

" There is something you need to know about Kim, something we all need to know. I understand all of you want answers, but the truth is… I don't have them." Jen and the other ranger looked at her clueless. Tanya, Kat, and Aisha glanced at one another, knowingly.

" Before we met with Kimberly at Silver Guardian headquarters, it was seven years, since I've seen Kim last. Seven years, since any of us had seen her." Trini admitted.

"Trini, what exactly are you saying?" Ashley inquired, bemused.

" I'm saying for seven years Kimberly had disappeared," Trini gave her the only answer she knew. " And when she came back, she was the way everyone sees her now."

"That's all we know." Aisha gazed down at the floor, feeling subdued. " That's the only thing we know."

* * *

_Amora Journal_

_Zastan year (Eltarian years, after the war)_

_Recorded by Zordon Liyuon Klan of Eltar_

_Translated by Alpha 5_

_Days has pass by heavily with the stain of the great war, still within each of our minds. The allience of peace is for the most part broken, just as our people, whom lost many close to their hearts due to a great scarfice of their loyalty and honor for all that is good. I had fought along side my own clan and lost people I have held dear to me as well, now I am what my people call a kilom , meaning an orphan. This use to be uncommon amongst many worlds, like my own, now the term lingers on everyones tongues. _

_All seems so lost without the White Wizard's guidance. It was he, that binded us together, to unite against evil, but evil proved even too much for his powers and then came his down fall, as many came to view it. I knew him far more well than others. He educated me on many things and there were times he told me, I was the one to educate him. Our beliefs were in a lot of ways similar and our values the same, only now there is just myself. I, alone, have to restore some sort of...hope, not only for my own people, but for all kindly and innocent beings. _

_I feel that is my destiny. _

_My purpose in life. _

_With my dreams in mind, I found the courage I needed to leave my home world and visit with powerful friends of mine to insist me. They were Ninjor, Dulcea, and Dimitria. They like me had the same intentions as I did and helped me, through the countless centeries, to create a fierce power contained in six coins. I call them power coins, each inspired by alien creatures , I found fascinating and very well fitting as they were majestic and mighty. The coins combind with a device, it will transform six suitable beings into a supreme fighting force I like to call..._

_...The power rangers._

* * *

Kimberly was to herself all that morning. No one said nothing to her, since Alpha's death, knowing everything would only come out of sympathy or repellence to her abilities. Kim couldn't blame them and for once she was grateful. As a ranger you expect the unexpected with morphing powers; it gives you the abilities to do what was incapable for any 'normal' human being, but to have those abilities without being able to morph was something they couldn't understanding. It didn't help that a majority of the people on the ship didn't know her before her disappearance either. 

Nor did it help that the people that knew her before, didn't recognize her now.

Trini and Aisha hadn't stepped into their quarters all night and that pained her as much as it had provided fear.

She was a monster to them.

To herself.

Kimberly didn't even know her own identity anymore.

She rolled to her side, the mattress molding to her new position as she reached for her duffle bag and withdrew a photo from one of the side pockets. The glossy and worn paper was folded with fine lines and scratched, but the image itself was nothing but perfection to her.

It was a photo of she and Tommy taken before she left for Florida.

Tommy held her tightly from behind her, his face pressed against the side of hers as he kissed her cheek.

The memory caused her eyes to tear.

She stared at her seventeen year old self, trying to recall, who she was back then. Head cheerleader. Class president. Most popular. Artist and musician. Prom queen and top class gymnast. They were all just titles, everything she used to be and lost, before _it_ happened.

_Who am I now?_ Kimberly asked, herself the same question for seven years, but no amount of meditation, no matter how much she tried to remember, there was no answers. Except for one: A monster. A freak. Someone who didn't deserve to be here.

Why?

_If Trini knew,_ Kimberly mused. _If they all knew…if he knew…_

She gazed longingly at the man in the picture. The only identity she knew. The only identity, she prayed she had left.

Kim thought about Alpha, all he had done for her when she was away from the world she knew. Through the most difficult period of her life, Alpha had became someone to confine in when she had to go on without everyone else she knew.

For a long time, she wondered what had happened to him, yet could never leave to search for him, because of her situation. She wasn't strong enough, nor stable, to search for him at the time, therefore she could only hope that he was well and would return, soon. Even after he had notified her of his departure from earth, along side Zordon to Eltar, Alpha 5 continued to accompany her when the time allowed him too. Then two years later, Zordon was gone, sacrificing himself for peace, he knew thrived beyond war. Alpha was there for her, to grieve and be along side her; to enjoy their companionship sometime later. Soon, over the period of time, the visitations became more limited and Kimberly never knew what happened to him from then on.

Subconsciously, her fists were clenced at her sides. She fumed at her gifts. Her cursed powers that had prevented her from being there for everyone she loved, when they needed her the most.

When she needed them...

The room door came open and Trini and Aisha entered, startling Kim from her reverie. She quicky stuffed the photo beneath her pillow and wiped the escaped tears from her cheek as she sat up to a sitting position on her bed. The yellow rangers each took their own seat across from her on Trini's bed.

_Let the integration begin,_ Kim thought dryly.

"So I'm assuming you've come to punish me for my crimes?" She said, breaking the silence first.

Trini ignored the comment.

" I thought it would be a good idea, if just the two of us that talked to you, instead of everyone being here." Kimberly stood, finding she couldn't keep herself seated any longer, yet couldn't bring herself to walk out the room. She folded her arms over her chest, tempted to let her mind dive away in the distance her thoughts could take her. Instead, Kim paced a small circle in front of the door, bracing herself for whatever was to come. " Why didn't you tell us you had powers, Kim?"

" What difference would it make?"

Aisha stood glaring at Kim in disbelief. " Do you even hear what you're saying or see what you're doing? How do we know if those powers are not dangerous? Or what if someone had used you, because of your abilities? Have you even thought about how this could even could effect your safety as well as ours?"

_Safety?_ Kimberly latched on to the word, allowing it to twist and bend till heart could reject the pain it felt and strengthen from it.

" Keeping things like this can also develope distrust between you and everyone else by not telling us you have these capabilities. And not just that, but the way you act when you're around them. Distant and cold. " Trini said in an even tone of voice. "Did you even consider how that would make everyone feel about you?"

" And its more than you not telling us," Aisha crossed her arms and legs in a form that stated she was only getting started. " We're all trying really hard to be rational, but still we have to consider these things, Kim."

" I understand what you guys are saying, but you need to trust me..." Kim replied softly.

Aisha shoulders slumped as she clamped her teeth together, both out of anger and an even larger swell of sadness. Kim was her best friend and for seven years of her life, she wasn't there or even bothered to contact her to let her know she was alright after so much time went by with the other former rangers and herself searching for her. Aisha was worried sick that she may have been taken by an old enemy or possibly a new nemesis, every possiblity was considered. After a long while, Zordon assured them that she was well and just simply didn't want to be found. Still, that hadn't stop Aisha from sending the letters that were sent back and making phone calls that connected with disconnected phone lines, till the point she had to come to terms with the fact that Kim just didn't want to be a part of their lives anymore. Aisha could only do what was left of her to do, she lived her life and tried to move on. Just like everyone else.

" How are we supposed to do that? Your gone for seven years, supposedly without any powers, and then all of a sudden, you're back; completely changed from how we all remember you and with a power we know nothing about." Trini shot back, rising to her feet. " As far as I could tell you were already losing it. The way you used those...powers of yours was beyond acceptable, Kim. It was as if you enjoyed over powering those monsters at the tavern, especially when you were fighting Dasku. What if you would have killed them?"

"So what if I did?" Kim countered, she could feel her face shadow over as she recalled her combat with Dasku. "They're the bad guys, Trini, or have you forgotten that? Tommy and the others are out there somewhere, probably already dead for all we know. That monster at the tavern had the information we needed and I got it for us." Kimberly said, growing even more aggravated as Trini touched on a nerve.

" In a way that was no better than what Rita and Zedd might have done. That was you being a villianess." Trini argued back. Kimberly stepped back as if she had been slapped. The insult had hit home. Trini saw hurt pass along Kim's face and instantly regreted her words. " Look, I'm sorry, okay?"

"No. No, you meant it. This isn't about what happened on Oynx or about the fact that I kept my powers hiden from you...Its because everyone is afraid of me!" Kimberly proclaimed, looking from one former ranger to the other in accusion. "The way everyone stared at me...It was fear."

"We were worried." Aisha insisted, softly. " The way that energy traveled across your skin like that...It was like what happened to you when your powers were taking away from you by Rita and Zedd. And the way you used your powers, most moves I didn't recognize, but I recalled some it. Ninjetti powers."

" We're not asking you for answers, Kim." Trinistaed firmly. Kim met her eyes dead on. " I'm demanding it. Not just because I need to know why you put us through so much of worrying about you for all these years, not only because of your powers, but because you could jeopardize this mission and this team."

Kim eyes flared at the incredulous thought.

"You think I'm a threat," Kimberly chuckled bitterly.

"I think you're your own threat, Kim. That's why I'm demanding to know what is going on." Trini tried to will the flood of torment down in her heart, her entire soul trembling with desperation and solemn ness.

Kimberly turned away from her. Silence ripped through the room and crashed against the walls with blazing intensity. Kim couldn't speak, couln't breathe as her heart pounded in delayed beats. The first signs of tears threaten to cut her eyes.

" Talk to us, girl." Aisha voice cried for her their friendship to return, but the last few threads were beginning to perish.

" Kim…" Trini voiced gently. " We've been best friends our whole lives. I just… You have to understand how hard this is for us. How hard it was when you were gone, when we were searching for you, and to have you here now… The way you are now." Trini struggled to explain. " You're the closes person I've ever had to a sister and I just feel like… I feel like I'm slowly loosing you and I have no idea why."

Kimberly forced the trembling in her body to reside.

" Give me a reason why I feel like this," Tears spilled down the sides of her face, twin lines of liquid diamonds in the light of the room.

For a moment, Kim wanted to tell her everything, wanted to let go of the breath she had been holding for years, she wanted to resurface from her years of drowning, but she couldn't, because she cared for them too much. They were her friends, her sisters, and if they saw her for what she was she knew she would never be able to face them. She wasn't ready.

_You both won't understand this now, but I'm trying to protect you,_ Kimberly cried with her mind. _I'm trying to protect you from what I could do if I let go. From what I could do, if I told you the truth._

"Get out," The words washed away the silence, masked away from the desperate need to welcome them back into her life. Trini froze, everything still, yet crumbling away, all at once. Aisha frowned, feeling lost and angst all at once.

"We're not just going to leave-"

"Aisha," Kimberly whirled around, eyes hazing with rising pink fire. "Leave! Both of you!"

" I can't believe you." Aisha glared at her and turned on her heels, leaving out the door without another word to voice her disdain.

Kimberly's lips trembled, her body quaking with emotions, with raging power she struggled to contain. Muteness filled between the two remaining rangers within the room. Trini folded her arms over her chest, inhaling the deaden silence and exhaling all she had left to offer.

_How did everything get so messed up? Why couldn't she just tell us? _Trini didnt know if she had enough strength to find the answers or to even consider Billy's earlier words. So without another word, she left, the door sliding to a close behind her.

* * *

Kim stood once again to her lonesome self, everything burning, the entire room in flames with crimson. A ball rolled to her feet, hand printed with those same embers blazing around her, the entire room screaming till a lone voice hushed everything else to a small whisper. 

"_Looks like its just us,"_ Kimberly turned and saw the little girl standing in the shadows of the corner, the light only casting down on her pink and white snickers. From the shadows, blood exposed itself in tears of red, and puddle to the floor. A wicked dance of childish giggles stabbed Kim in the chest to the point she felt herself kneeling to the floor and soon hugging her knees tightly to her chest, rocking back and forth, like a cradled infant.

Aisha and Trini never came back to the room, but if they had, they would have seen pink bolts of energy leaping of Kim's skin in hot currents, and tears rolling down her cheeks.

Each tear bleeding in drops of boiling infernos.

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**Authors Note:** This is a **20 **page chapter, I believe (atleast in my writing program it is). I think I deserve some reviews, lol. So we got alot of information and my promised interogation, but the question we all want to know still remains: What happened to Kimberly? 

I'll never tell. Not now anyway. Besides whats a story without a big dramatic revelation? No story I'm willing to ignore thats for sure. You'll never believe what I cooked up. So excuse any errors I've missed and enjoy! **Review!** And see you in chapter 13.

**- EclipsingFlames**

P.S. My other story is **UPDATED! **


	13. The Discussions That Involve No Words

**A/N : **I left the chapter unedited, so I can come back and do it when my attitude is better and I'm not crying over this. Really, I hope everyone enjoys this and is kind enough to ignore my mistakes. When I get my new program I will come back to correct them. **Also, In chapter 12 I got 19 reviews from you guys! YAY! **That helps my mood knowing how much you guys love this story**. This chapter is 26 pages**, so its longer than the last and more of a character study with the other female rangers I didn't touch on as much and alot of romance between Zhane and Karone. 

I got a job at barnes and noble now, so thats what took me so long to update. Deepest apologies. **Please, review! And again, I'm sorry for everything.** I'm really trying hard, but it feels like I keep getting knocked back down in the end. (Sigh).**  
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**The Discussions That Involve No Words **

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**The Following Day...**

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**KO- 35 in the Karova System**

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Zhane hurried to the docking bay, weaving through technicians and engineers, deeply involved in their tasks The sight of the ship hanger, stetched in the length of two football fields and towering a minimum of sven stories high, with glass domes above everyone heads, painted with sharp and exotic symbols, letters, and portraits. The alien sun burned down through the mosaic ceiling and layered the marble floor below beneath the feet that walked it in a busy rush. The walls were crafted with smooth creme' colored stone and matching pillars along the perimeter.

High in the center, the ceiling sectioned into fours parts that seperated and rose away from each other to expose the fresh blue sky outside and the Astro Mega ship about to make its touchdown inside. Everyone cleared away as the ship casted a cape of shadow over the large piece of floor cleared for its rest.

The engines that breathed hotly, died away in silence, the engines popping and whistling as the settled into a slow cooling. The belly of the ship cracked open and a platform decended the few feet to the floor below with the passngers.

"Karone!"

She looked for him through the scattered works walking this way and that to get to where they needed to be. Her eyes settled upon the platinum blonde running toward her.

" Zhane!" Karone leaped into his arms, the muscler limps rooting her into his embrace, clashing wamth, hearts and souls in a mix of soothing contentment in the days of turmoil.

The others stood a way at a safe distance to offer them a moment of peace with one another. The teams eyes diverted themselves to the action around the construction, others gazed a little melancholy at the couple in the missing of their own love.

Karone felt her eyes burned with tears. Her desperate need to cry in her blacken depression for her brother hung her from a jagged edge that washed away in a sea of comfort in these two arms around her. The need to drown her self in his body, his smell, and breath blazed in undeniable intoxication. Every part of her hummed and burst to sing free in the tempting grace to let go.

Zhane kissed her hair his hands setting loose the tension and chills that trembled through her. He could feel her entire body shivering against his, quaking in her resistance to be strong and to let go all at once.

"Its okay," He whispered through her hair as he ran his fingers through it. " It'll all be okay."

"She got Andros," She pulled back in his arms, but not far enough so their bodies would break contact. Karone looked teary eyed into Zhane's steel blue ones that frowned at her words. Karone explained further the information Alpha and Dasku provided them. " Diamond has Andros and I have to get him back, Zhane."

Zhane nodded, taking her face into his hands.

"We'll get him back, Karone. I promise you." He gazed at her hard in the eyes. He pleaded to make sure she understand his vow, hoping each letter within each word would ease her dreading soul with his loving will to protect her for any affliction.

Wanting to believe nothing else, Karone nodded, grasping on to Zhane's hand as if her life depended on his touch to keep her going.

"What? No hug for your other favorite female team mates?" Cassie joked, lightly.

Zhane gave her a welcoming smile as he hugged Ashley and Cassie, one hand still holding on to Karone's. He addressed the other rangers he had not met with a grin.

" It's nice to see you all in person." Zhane said as he looked at them each in turn. "Karone told me about Oynx and Alpha 5. I'm sorry about what happened to him, the Edenoi people are allies with us, so I know just what great of a lost it must have been for you."

Trini pushed back the rise swell in her chest as she nodded and said thank you for his kindness. She stepped forward to shake his hand and couldn't help, but to admire his black cladded uniform with silver tremmings and a tight silver shirt beneath his small black jacket.

_Certainly not in Kanses anymore, that's for sure._ She thought mildly.

" My name is Trini, the selected leader of our mission."

"Nice to meet you, Trini. I'm sure everyone chose, well." He gave her a firm hand shake with a soft smile. Trini's smile twitched slightly at the comment, but accepted it without word. Zhane turned to everyone, earnestly. A look that said it was time to get down to business.

" Elder Heida requested that I bring you all to see him upon your arrival." Zhane kept Karone at his side as he lead them put the hanger to the corridor. "Follow me."

Zhane lead them through the corridor, the long stretch of dark gray walls and floors vastly different from the inside of the hanger. Behind them the sound of machines and workers drowned in distance, like water down a drain. Their feet echoed a long the smoothen, polished floors, forming an unsteady rhythm of rubber sole from their shoes.

Kimberly lagged behind, eyes stinging and heavy from insomnia that splashed them red. Her body moved on its own, every cell within her feeling the tinge to explode with relief. Her fingers buzzed with settled energy, ready to spill at given moment. It was something she could never explain, the loudness within her, the way everything around her breathed and pulsed to blind her senses and embrace her with fierce vehemence that screamed to be free... for years the feeling was endless. Still for those seven long years, not a day compaired to the intoxication she was drowning in now.

Each day she was around the others, the skeletons in her closet clawed more desperately at the barriors she constructed, cutting blood free from their bone marrows, and slintering skin. Kim could feel it, gasping wounds obscured to the naked eye, but still there, still bleeding out of her. All night she mediatated, focused on reinforcing the fields she had spent day after day learning to fully harness, but it was so hard with so many emotions to control. Like the night before with Aisha and Trini and at the tavern when Trini touched her.

And when especially Alpha 5 passed away.

There were just too many emotions, so much pain and longing and need. A desperate needs to give in to something that was nothing other than intolerable.

Her demons made sure of it.

Still, through the matters of insanity, she reached for her only ounce of peace in her endless time in hell…Tommy Oliver.

Kim couldn't rid herself free from him no matter what a few words had stated otherwise. He was in her blood just the same as what contaminated. He came to her every night and held as he had done on their last day with one another. He kissed her, grazing her lips with the soul of all souls that kept her standing and living each day till a new day brought her back to where she belonged, back to him. After all these years, she didn't expect him to love her, to hang on to that one blessed day of all days that was her safe haven, she didn't expect a kiss to be her remedy to gaining everything she lost back. But to look into his eyes, to see him and have her eyes mist as she inhaled his presence as a morning glory, would be awakening enough.

Kim's gaze transfixed on the gray walls, inane and unglamorous, they stirred with the delicate touch of memory that blossomed in her mind. Kim surrendered herself to phantasm, the only exit open to her to escape the pain that always welled up within her. She shivered, even though the hall way was at a fairly warm temperature, her response was only in answer to the breath that brushed the spot on her neck. The spot he knew she loved. She didn't have to turn around to know it was him, his touch was enough. His arms wrapped around her from behind, molding her against him, like a sunset over water, inseparable. Their hands locked over her waist, ringing her, protectively, where she belonged.

His head leaned in close to hers, placing whispers of faith and potency, its waves filling the caverns within her. Their hearts beated simutanously, melting into one whole, the paints that created a masterpiece. For a moment, Kim remembered the girl she was growing up, the woman she would have been, if life had not dangled her over the many cliffs, she was helplessly climbing. But when she openned her eyes, she could only see what she had become, and what would remain.

A hand reached out to touch her arm, pulling her from her state, and her powers vined up the arm of the rookie in imperceptible streams. Tori's eyes widen as she met the flakes of pink that ran through Kim's eyes, the bottomless pools that broaden. Kim felt the pages open, like before in vivid images of her past washing over the two.

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**Flash**

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_They were at the edge of the pond, warm gusts of wind rippled the still surface, delicately melting the swirls of colors into one another. Seated beneath the waltzing ends of the willow tree, he held her against him with no intention of letting go._

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**Flash**

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_He presented a ring, his hand lightly trembling with nerves and anticipation. Tears rivered down each of their cheeks, glistening in golden streams, prints that revealed their souls to one another._

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**Flash**

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_He lifted her into the air, her hair wrapping around the frame of her face. She smiled raising her face to the fading sun as the wind rippled her pink sundress. Her hands on his shoulders, he held her securely by the waist, gazing up at her with undying devotion. He spun her around till the sun settled beneath the waters surface, their laugher circling around them._

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Tori felt herself diving into the portals of Kimberly's mind, stroking through her memories, leaving her body behind. She could only watch as the pages unfolded in her mind, flashing in clips, like an estranged dream dazzled in formless shapes and colors. She felt Kim's emotions as if she had become her, actually felt the sinking suns warmth, and the safety of the arms around her. In the film of memories, Kim's powers eloped them with, Zhane and the other female rangers formed a semi-circle around the two in concern of their unmoving forms.

It was Trini that grasped on to Tori's shoulder, shaking her lightly to jolt her from the deepen trance she was in, her hand falling to her side from Kim's shoulder. The powers vial tore between the two, breaking its hold on them, and the present tided over them, like cold water frosting their bodies. Tori's breaths were labored from the mental exhaustion of the pull of Kim's powers, shivered in light tremors, and felt a warm tingling wash up her arm.

Trini looked between the two, acknowledging the scene of what had just happened between them from a new perspective. The others stood around lost in the aybss of the event, but Trini was fully aware. She looked sternly at Kim, silent conversations passed through their eyes that reach no conclusions. Trini withheld the information of the mind dives (as she came to call it) that Kimberly was capable of doing by touch, the details of it was still hazy to her, but the feeling of it was empowering. Kim could only swallow under the observations of the group upon them, their gazes were like burning becons that pushed to turn her into ashes. Nervous, she looked away down the distant entrance of the hall they had came from.

Trini looked to Tori, who appeared dazed and confused by what had happened. She stared far off into nothing, nearly jumping when Trini shook her again.

"Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah." Tori nodded.

Before anyone could pursue the issue further, Zhane stepped out from the gathered 'audience', reminding them of the fading time that continued to slip away.

" If everyones okay, then we need to be on our way." He spoke politely, but with urgency in voice. " The more time we waste, the longer the others are from being rescued." His words snapped everyone back in to the important matters at hand.

Trini urged the relunctant and an awestricken ranger along, while Kim retook her position at the rear of the group. No one saw her hands grip at her sides as she cursed herself silently for being so careless with the sensitivity of her powers.

Kim could never forget how defying her powers could be.

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Their venture to the upper levels of the building went by in silence, each ranger physically and mentally drained from the pass few days of unsettling slumber and constant distress for the red rangers, and drama within their own collectiveness. They entered a new hallway, sunlight breaking through the glass mosaic ceiling, causing everything to burst in various pataches of colors on the marble tile floors and cremery white stone walls at their sides. The walls sectioned with massive pillars that sparkled in the brilliant light like smoothen sand grains. The marble floors swirled smooth with cream and gold under the rainbow of colors that fell over it. Along each side of the hall, statues were placed between each pillar, carved magnificently to their own proud perfection. Each were potraits of great leaders with their names cut at the base of stone they stood upon; their eyes gazed through them, staring in to a distant past that gave them their honor.

At the end of what seemed a mile-long walk down the corridor, a massive tanish gold door towered proudly before them. Between the two doors it shared a carved symbol of a blooming rose, its petals protectively embracing a sword with its sharp blade downcasted toward the floor below them. The wooden texture of the doors were both trimmed with vined rose buds and thrones, looping over one another.

"Wait here." Zhane approached the closed doors and without the touch of his hand, the right door swung inwardly open and closed upon the titanium rangers entrance. They watched as the symbol pieced together on the door and drown out any noise that could have taken place inside, leaving them to the silence of the history drowned hallway.

Minutes passed before both doors opened to invite them in. After looking at one another, Trini lead them inside to a massive room that eloped them. They stepped into pure elegance; the room was dome shaped, its ceiling stretching up two stories high to the common themed mosaic piece. Instead of the raining sunlight falling down on to the floor, the ceiling was capped with stone, and the same symbol painted from the door, portraited on the tiles skin. Where statues would be placed, guards stood staring rigorously ahead at nothing; their hands grasping tightly around silverish blue staffs. They wore the same uniforms as Zhane, only white with gold trims.

Ahead of them was a platform with four wide steps laid down on the floor, where an ancient ceder desk was placed infront of a brown leathery chair. A heavy book rested wide open in the center of the desk with scatters of stray pages of stationery laid around it; a white feathered pen, dabbed in a crystal jar of ink sat to a corner of ther desk. Behind the desk an older man in crimson robes sat, with his hands clamped on top the open book, staring at them with an admiring, yet quizical eye. He bore white hair that traveled down to his shoulders and a beard clipped close to his face; a scar laided on his left cheek from his jaw line to the bottom of his ear. Zhane stood by his side, whispering softly before he walked down the few steps to join the other rangers, whom stood in silence.

Zhane gave them a soft smile and a wink before he turned to the old man. " Elder Heida, I present to you, my friends and fellow rangers of earth." He turned to them. "Rangers, I present to you, Elder Heida of KO- 35. Our foreseer and leader of the Korian people."

All was quiet after the introduction. The rangers stood waiting for some sign of life in Elder Heida, but all he did was sit and study them, his fingers moving about the humps of his knockles.

The rangers looked at one another, nervous under the elder's heavy set of eyes.

"Should we say 'hi' or something?" Kelsey inquired in a soft whisper. Ashley struggled her shoulders next to her having never met the elder herself.

Finally, after a painfully silent and disturbing moment, Elder Heida stood from his seat and came to stand before the rangers, with a soft, but earnest smile. Trini noticed that he was strongly built, like a warrior, beneath the heavy crimson and golden trimmed robes. In the folds of his garments, a discret belt was wrapped around his waist, the hilt of a dagger revealing itself as the material swayed with each step he took. He rested his hands behind his back, observing them one by one. He looked at them as if he had seen deep within each of them.

"Rangers of Earth, it is a great pleasure to greet you all, finally. If only on better circumstances." He spoke, profoundly. " Zhane has told me of your situation with the red rangers; I am sadden to hear of their disappearance, Andros' as well. I wish to aid you all on your quest."

He looked again down the line of rangers. Kim fought not to squirm as his eyes hung on her a second longer than the rest.

" Which of you is the leader of the operation?"

Each looked to Trini, one by one. She swallowed, her eyes unweavering and chin held high. "I am."

Elder Heida nodded as if thinking something, before coming to stand before her. Trini came to his chin in height.

" Ah yes, the first yellow ranger, I presume. Trini, yes?" Upon her troubled look, he chuckled softly, before answering her unasked question. " Forgive me, I thought Zordon would have told you of me. I have heard greats of you, yellow ranger. The first of the legendary line; your names are well known throughout several galaxies in the universe, so this is indeed a fine day for me. Yes, I see both of the original female members are here. It only fits to have one of the Zordon's choosen as the leader of this team, but one must ask..." His eye's whisked towards Kim, before looking back to Trini. A movement that was shifty and had gone unnoticed by all others than Kim and Trini. "...Is it how it was meant to be?"

Trini looked away, pondering the question in head. A question she herself had asked many times before, though never aloud. Was she really right for leadership? She assumed every other leader asked that question to themselves, but a settled part of her mind voiced that this part wasn't for her to play. Still a leader was needed and she had been chosen. Trini, tossed aside the question that echod in the air of the large room, avoiding to answer. She was taken aback, however when Elder Heida, gazed at her as if he had read what had passed through her mind.

Daring not to appear bothered, she replied, " You seem to know much of us and our situation, so I'll assume you know our time is limited as well. In all due respect, Elder Heida, why were we requested to come here, before we preceeded on with our mission?"

Elder Hieda nodded, again as if confirming something to himself. " Yes, well...I have a proposition for you all. A quest, if you will, to retrieve a sword, long ago lost on Platos-"

"A sword? Another mission?" Tayler said aloud.

"Yes, if you have to repeat it." The Elder's face a slight glimmer of a smile on his strong features.

"A sword?" Kim murmured quietly to herself as she lowered her eyes, reminiscing Alpha's last words. " Before Alpha died he said something about a sword."

"Alpha 5?" The elder's eyebrow raise at her words.

"Yes. We found found him on planet Oynx." Kim eyes wondered to the floor. "He told us what he could before..." Her words trailed off, upon a grave look that shadowed her face. Elder Heida understood what had happened through the whispers of the aching silence amounst the female rangers.

He went to Kim, his hand placed on her forearm, and his eyes sympathetic.

"Alpha was a dear friend of mine and the people of KO- 35. I am very sorry to hear of his passing." Kim tilted forward her head in appreciation. He looked to the other rangers. "Tell me, what else Alpha has told you?"

Over several mintues, they went through all that Alpha told them of the history of the White Wizard, King Deminis and his daughter's thrist for the same power he once hungered himself. They told him of the crystal, the aliances, what Dasku had to say of Queen Diamond at the tavern and how Zordon and Alpha 5 tied into this information. All the while, Elder Heida was attentive and contemplating their adventures, while quietly plotting. Kimberly remained silence throughout the brief commentaries of her powers spoken of by Trini, none of the girls had said anything to her about, giving her her space. Aisha still hadn't looked at her, since the clash that night and Trini not a word to her that didn't involve the entire team.

Once they were finished, the Elder nodded, yet again, confirming something within his mind. Zhane straighten as he spoke.

" Zordon is never one to be mistaken for as an cretin, he has done so much for my people and numerous others in the past and all of our futures, a vast part of it being the creation of the power rangers." A wistful smile lighten his demeanor. " I just wish he could have been here to see the greatness, you rangers continue to do."

Kimberly's eyes fluttered closed at the thought of the sage. Even now she couldn't stop herself from inquiring, if Zordon would be proud of what she had become. Alpha told her so many things in praises of her when Zordon couldn't possibly be present, but still they were only words spoken through someone else. When she had looked into his eyes that last day in what was then the Command Chamber, she could only see so much pain, regret and… disappointment reflecting back at her. And that was the last time she saw Zordon.

So again, she asked herself, would Zordon be proud of her? There was only one answer. Kim just hated to be the one to say what she already knew.

" Zordon's pride lives on within each of you." The Elder spoke in a projected voice that pushed against Kim's heart. His eyes glimmered as if he held a secret that taunted her, but like before, it whisked away like it was never there to begin with.

"Elder, time is critical I'm afraid." Zhane said in an urge, yet respective manner.

"That I must agree with you, Zhane." Elder Heida's eyes glistened silver from the light in the room that had no known source to the naked eye. The light that flickered around his pupils made him look all the more him mystical and enchanting to Kim.

"Can you tell us more about the sword?" Trini inquired, shifting slightly on her feet.

"It is the Sword of Athos; our only chance to defeat Queen Diamond."

"How?" Jen asked.

" The sword is anything but ordinary, I assure you, so don't be quick to judge what little of what you know of its greatness." He glanced at each of them, before he turned his back to them all with his hands still clamped behind his broad back. "The information was brief, but Alpha did tell you of the sword. Once blacken to the core with its magic's, it was purified at contact of embezzling the life of the White Wizard."

"The weapon that killed the White Wizard was a sword?" Kat recalled that Alpha had said that King Deminis had managed to kill the great wizard with a weapon, but the details were a blank in Alpha's rush to tell them all he could in the last few minutes of his life. All they knew was that the White Wizard was killed and in his passing the crystal had came to life and taken Deminis' life on his own.

"Precise, Katherine." He gave her a soft smile as he said her name to only announce further that he knew more about each of them than anyone knew. " A sword that once dripped to the marrow with evils blood, until it touched the light of White Wizard's soul and was gutted of every dark enchantment."

"How do we find it?"

"Before the alliance between our worlds was broken we came in term with one thing, to hide the sword where no evil could find it in a different dimension called Platos. The sword holds no evil yes, but not many wish to hold the sword that took away the great idealist and wizard. And those who believed they could handle its magnificient power found their own carriage to the other realm, rather good or evil, never to return." The sage folded back the collar of his robes to reveal a crystal pentagon hanging around his neck on a silver chain. The light that wrapped around jewel flickered with currents of rainbow swirls along its edges. " This will help to transport all of you to Platos and get you back once you've recovered the sword, but I'm afraid that your morphers will not be able to operate on its land."

"Wait, no morphers?" Dana cried as the Elder said the words practically nonchalant. " You just said everyone who tried to get the sword failed."

"And never made it back." Kendrix agreed. " What makes our odds more better than theirs?"

" Oh, I believe you have the fates on your side to topple the scales." That annoying twinkle in his eyes caught Kimberly's attention. She could literally feel her heart flip with her chest and hard against the inside walls of her chest.

" Oh well, now that we have the fates!" Cassie said sarcastically, as she tossed up her hands in the air.

"I have to agree," Zhane turned to face the elder, eyes flaring and temper turning within him. " By all means Elder, when you told me you had a way of helping them on their mission, I was not aware your plan was to send them to commit their own suicide. These people are my friends and I will not let any harm come to them, if I can help it. You know their odds with the example of the deaths set before them, you have no right to ask them of this, nor do you have the right of robbing the red rangers of whatever time they may have left!"

" Pace yourself, Zhane." The Elder's eyes harden, but his posture posed no treat to the titanium ranger. " If I did not have any faith that these women would not return safely, I would never even think to suggest this. But as it were, that sword is our only hope in all our worlds surviving the dangers that is very likely to come."

" Then I will be the one to go!" Zhane stomped forward in flame spouting anger and chivalry.

"Zhane!" Karone rushed to his side and latched on to his arm as she felt every part of her soul tearing in the rapidness of the heated clash. " Zhane, no!"

Zhane felt his heart soften to the point he felt his knees grow weak for this woman before him. Everything about this woman weakened him to amazement. She precious and in a lifetime of war draped him in the heavens of peace that made him so eager to protect her with his very life. Seeing like this, clenching his arm through the fabric of jacket with her fingers, face stricken with the imaginative of the dangers of this awaiting realm and her undying love for him that he held for her… It made him weak and strengthened him beyond the limits of any power ever forged.

"Karone…" Her name slide through his lips like silk and love sonnets no one could ever write. Zhane's anger left him in a rush as he embraced her, a hand slipping through the gold of her hair and around her shoulders as he kissed her forehead resting against his chin. Karone wrapped her arms around waist as she tilted her head back to gaze into his eyes.

" I won't let you go, Zhane." Karone's eyes plead with him, a look that caused Zhane's heart to spill open with his love for her. " I won't take the chance of losing you, like I could lose Andros."

Zhane embraced her again, his eyes slipping closed to shatter the world around them and have it be just them standing on the wings of passion. He would give his life for this woman; his life was this woman. He's eyes met Elder Heida's in plea.

" Your reason for rejection of this venture is not blinded to me, Zhane. Love is a power that even I cannot deny the presence of I assure you." He placed a hand on the ranger's shoulder. " And it is for that love I believe it s right that they go…without you."

:"And still without powers?" Maya added, her transmorpher wrapped around her wrist and sword clenched in her hand. " We could hardly make out of Onyx when Dasku had that triblockulator fielding our morphing energy. Now you want us to go on to a new dimension, none of us knows nothing about and bring back a sword everyone failed at retrieving?"

"For a sword that will raise our chances greatly against a supreme evil. I wouldn't suggest this for nothing." The elder said, holding his arms back behind his back once again.

"Why couldn't you do it yourself?" Tanya inquired, not liking the sound of this mission. " Why does it have to be us? Why now after all this time, you or anyone else, could have ventured to retrieve the Sword of Amora, when this day was so feared in the first place?"

The elder's demeanor didn't stir from the attack of inquiries. He merely smile that same reticent and prudent smile as he stepped closer to the team.

"Its as I said before, I believe you have the fates on your side to topple the scales." He walked down the line to pass each ranger, before he stopped before Kim with that bothersome light in his eye that made Kim uneasy. " The real question is, do you know?"

His question puzzled them all, and sent Kimberly spiraling through more questions concerning him and unnervingly herself for some odd, unexplainable reason. What was he trying to to tell her? What was it that he knew? Kimberly pondered, unable to discard the discret glow in the elder's eyes.

"I'll leave you to discuss the matter to yourselves with one final thing to take into account. It must be all of you or none of you." Elder Heida walked up the small flight of steps to his leather chair that he once again took a seat upon. He watched them with an avid eye from the distance, but said not a word.

The group huddle in close with Zhane included, his hand still intertwined with Karone as she stood close to his side.

"Well, I think it's obvious we don't have a choice…" Ashley began with a sign in her anxiety to do something productive. Seeing Zhane and Karone together only made her heart cry for Andros' touch more needed. Everything in her ached in urgency for her better half and the ticking hours slipping by made the hunger more distressful.

"You have a choice not to go." Zhane said meeting everyone eye to eye, before resting his intense steel blue eyes on Trini. " Platos is no place any of you need to be. No one hardly speaks of the place any more, because of all warriors and kings that's gone to never set foot out of that world alive."

"But what about what Heida told us?" Alyssa said softly. " He sounded pretty sure that we could get that sword and make it back."

"He also said a bunch of riddles with no meaning." Taylor folded her arms, absently shaking her head. " But if it's our only chance to get the guys back, I say we go for it."

"That goes for me, too." Katie agreed, meeting Taylor's eyes with a slight nod. "The elder also said that this could be a good match up to defend ourselves, If Diamond gets that crystal. We can't take any chances on passing up an opportunity like that."

" I think we should stay and go on without the sword." Kelsey voiced looking between Dana and Trini. " Maya was right; we barely made it out of that Tavern without powers and yet we want to head into a place we hardly know anything about for a sword that no one lived to bring back? Zhane said it before, its suicide! We can't go forward with this with those odds."

" I agree with Kelsey." Tanya said, lowering her hands into her pockets. " Its too big of a risk." Aisha nodded in agreement with her cousin with a soft 'me, too'.

Trini looked to her team, conflictive on the thought of both options they had laid out before them. She remained silent as each member of the team voiced their opens, her finger propped beneath the curve of her bottom lip and her gaze burying through the marble swirls along the floor. Each day the pressure built heavier than the day before, so many decisions, questions, complications pressing against her skull as if her head were going to explode from the flood. She thought about Jason, his health and being, wondering if he knew she was coming for him. Wondering if the situation was reversed, what he would do in her place.

Trini tighten her eyes as fresh mists of tears brimmed her eyes. It was all too much, wondering, thinking, having to lead, and deal with everyone. She was only a leader for a day and a half and all ready it was overwhelming.

" I'm going," Zhane opened his mouth to object, but Karone hushed him with her fingertips to her lips. " I'm going, Zhane. Any chance I have of getting Andros back is a chance I am not going to pass up. Nothing and no one is going to stop me. Not even you."

Zhane's mouth clenched, a fuss withheld in his jaw. He looked away from her, unable to with his imaginative piercing his mind with the sickening image of what could happen to her.

Karone felt the grip of his hand loosen slightly, but she couldn't prevent that. Now she had to do what she thought was best in order to rescue her brother… and possibly Zhane, himself. Years ago, Zhane had rescued her from the brutality of Princess Astronema in his valiant act of being a ranger. He looked beyond the boundaries of good and evil and into the heart of a man and a woman who could love one another, just like Andros showed her the love of a brother that had been vacuum in her heart, in her years of blindness. Now it was her turn to do what she could to save them.

" She won't be alone." Ashley went to Karone's side, laying a hand on to her arm. Both of them had come to good term with one another along time ago, but one day Ashley had secretly hoped that Karone could look to her as family, a sister, as she hoped to one day call her. They both loved the same man, fought beside him, and now they would fight together for a love they both needed in their lives.

Karone smiled over to her, gently placing her hand on top hers. Ashley responded giving her a kindly and assuring smile of her own.

" If we do this, what about our time? How long could this take us? A day? A week?" Kat inquired along side Trini, the yellow gold of hair caught the light casing her in a radiant halo effect in the heated discussion. " We don't know how much time Tommy and the others have? I can't even think of how to come to a decision about something like this."

" I'm going." Kelsey swung her eyes over to Dana as the pink rangers voice sounded unalterable to her disbelief.

"Dana-" The light speed ranger cut her sentence short.

"Look, I understand why you want to stay behind, Kelsey. I do. But I'm getting that sword back, regardless of our odds." Her arms loosened from its fold and greeted her sides with clamped fists. " We all have to be in this together, either way, and no one can possibly ask me to turn down the only option and opportunity we have. Not even you."

Kelsey frowned, bemused by the pronounced fierce to her friend's tone of voice.

" Dana, I wasn't trying to affront you." She said, tilting her head to the side in hopes to catch the pink rangers eye. Dana shook her head, eyes falling to the floor once again, before her blue eyes met the sought green ones.

" I know. I just…" Dana couldn't find the words to explain her self, nor find the key reason to her fervent notion. She wanted to get the rangers back safely and bring an end to Diamond, sure, but her cause for practically snapping Kelsey's head off was uncalled for on her part. Her sudden exasperate thoughts numbed her mind, before she finally said. " I'm sorry. I don't know where that came from."

Kelsey placed an arm over her shoulder, smiling to her softly that received a weak response from Dana. Now wasn't the time to step into the side issues of what was going on with her friend, but she had an idea what was going on.

" I guess that changes my vote." Kelsey declared. Dana looked to her. " We're a team, if you go, I go."

" Whatever you decide, I'm with you." Jen stepped to Trini's side chin raised and officially pronounced in her all business demeanor.

Trini shook her head.

" Everyone has the right to have their voice heard before any settlement is made." Jen's eyes harden as she spoke.

" Then, I'm undecided." She admitted, clearly irked by the thought. " The assumption is that we get that sword and our chances against Diamond rises, possibly dramatically, but my heart and mind are screaming two separate things."

"I don't have to guess what your heart is telling you." Trini noticed how difficult it was for Jen to reveal the small amount of sincerity she had. Her voice had lowered and eyes eased into true emotion. " That nothing in heaven or hell could stop you from getting him back."

Jen nodded slowly as she came to an understanding with the yellow veteran ranger before her.

" You, too?"

"Jason." Trini murmured softly, gazing away. Jen placed a hand on her leaders shoulder.

" Then it's the hell mouth we go." Jen said, solemnly. Trini didn't have to voice her agreement.

* * *

Kimberly was occupied with other matters. Elder Heida's gaze boiled the back of head, infecting her nerves and pouncing at her mind with more questions. His eyes was fixated in such an erudite manner, it rubbed her the wrong way. Kim turned her attention his way, his cutting eyes dissecting her with his luring conundrums in silence.

She found her feet moving beneath her, each step slipping her silently away from the conference to the answers that seemed to seeping through the sage before her. He spoke before she could even think of what to say.

"The power of the unspoken can be uncanny, can it not? The way it consumes us, rattles the mind till we're suffocated with what ifs and every plausible notion. Its truly intoxicating, but healable non- the- less. That is if we are willing to take the risk." He leaned forward on his desk with gleaming eyes.

"Tell me what you know." Kim demanded, dismissing his babble. Her voice was low to keep whatever was said discrete from the others. Heida leaned back casually in his seat, bending his hand in half to urge her closer.

" I know everything there is to know of you. Especially, your whereabouts these last seven years." Kimberly felt the gush of wind dry from her lungs and her body course with tides of icy chills that buried her heart with snow. Everything that followed terror attacked her to the point she thought she was green with illness. "Calm yourself, pink ranger. Your secret remains as it is, a secret for you and only you to tell."

Kim accepted his word, powerless to believe anything else.

" Let me ask you this, do you believe all things happen for a reason?" His question sound odd as it was unexpected to her ears. She supposed anything was after his revelation.

" I'm not sure I know much of anything, anymore." She answered softly, unsure of how to answer such an unforeseen query.

He looked disappointed of her answer.

" What if I told you Zordon believed in it? Would your opinion change then?"

Kimberly looked away, unable to recall nothing, but Zordon's disappointment in her. She had shamed him to the point he barely spoken to her and that only deepened Kim's guilty even more. Like the father before him, Zordon had disgraced her as a ranger, and more heartbreakingly as daughter. She couldn't speak to answer the elders question Zordon was hard enough to think about without having to recall her traumatic experience.

"I see," As the elder came to terms with her silence. In many ways before him stood a great woman with heart of a child hiding from the monsters that lurked under her bed. He suddenly could understand Zordon's fondness of her. "Remember, who you are, Kimberly. You are a ranger; Zordon's first chosen. As it was the day the power was placed into your hand, you are the heart of this team. Embrace your destiny and set loose your past."

Kimberly didn't know what to say as for a slight moment, her strong-will cracked and a single tear peeled down the cheek of her face in light glimmers of pink. She swabbed the wet scar away the glowing tear an encryption to only the surface of what plagued her.

* * *

Trini watched the interaction from afar, the conversations around her hazy babble that might as well have been a different language. Their conversation was out of earshot, but some words caught through the motion of the lips. Not to mention the single shining tear that caused her to gaps silently to herself.

She couldn't help it; every ounce of her wanted to hate the new Kim for her stubbornness and hostility she displayed the night before, but more louder than anger, she became all the more flooded with sadness and anger. Trini didn't know what to do about her, and whatever remained of her friendship. All she could come in conclusion with is that if it was so easy for Kim to heave the friendship down the drain, then maybe she should do the same. Only she couldn't. That small display of vulnerability, even if she had no idea of the cause of it, made her reach out her heart to Kim and inch out of her indifference towards her.

" You saw it too?" Trini looked over to Aisha a little startled.

" She was crying." Trini nodded, catching on to what her successor was saying. " I thought I was seeing things at first."

" Yeah, emotion, go figure." Aisha muttered bitterly. Trini was unsettled by her harshness, but understood where it came from. Aisha was as equally hurt by Kim as she was, which only caused her to be offensive and bitter to hide the pain she felt.

"We have to push pass this, Aisha. Kim is apart of this team; we need her." Trini tried to reason, but Aisha's eyes flashed as if the idea were absurd.

" 'Push pass this?' Like it's that easy for you to do the same, Trini. Kim said it herself, she doesn't need us, so why do we need her?" The yellow ranger tossed an unnerving glare Kim's way, but she was too preoccupied with the conversation she was having with the elder.

" Because we do. We all need each other right now." Trini reminded her, placing a hand on her arm. " We have to think about Jason, Tommy, and the others, our issues have to wait."

Aisha shook her head, but said nothing else as she relocated to where Tanya and Kat conversed amongst themselves.

Trini sighed, eyes wondering back to Kimberly and Elder Heida as they made their way back to meet with the group. Any signs of tender emotion that Kim had showed Heida erased; she didn't once meet Trini gaze, her eyes boring ahead in her reverie state.

"I trust that you have all come to a settlement?" The elder inquired looking to Trini.

" None of us likes the circumstances you placed us in," Trini said revealing her detest of the sudden deviation that seemed to be more based on probability than a sure decision for them to go along with wearing happy faces and no regrets.

"For that I cannot ask for your forgiveness, seeing how much each of you have at risk. Friendships." Aisha tightened her jaw, thinking bitterly at his words. " Love ones." Zhane looked away from him, pulling Karone closer. Jen flinched slightly, strong willed to maintain her emotions. Kimberly thought back to the photo, the only identity she had left. " And a team."

Katie frowned. " But we've done well as team so far."

" Yes, so far." He remarked in opposition. " A team is more than rallying a group of rangers together, there must be harmony and balance… heart." Katie tossed Jen a look that uttered skepticism and judged his sanity. Taylor sighed in impatience and lack of action.

"Now," The elder finally refocused on Trini. " Your decision?"

The team looked to Trini, their various notions buzzing around her in a spiral of chaos upon this moment. Her word was the final call no objections. They simply trusted her to take value of their perceptions on the matter, analyze them and elect the best choice.

_Simply, _Trini thought discomforted. Again, she asked herself how Jason had lead them into battle, how he deciphered the best choice for the team in the heap of probable disasters and distress from herself and the others. She wondered how Tommy carried on with it for all those years and had adapted to the stress of it. 

Would it be righteous to venture toward oblivion, hand their lives to the fates for a weapon no one before them lived through to tell their tales? Or would it be selfish of her to want to take the fastest route to the red rangers, to fight and take their chances with Diamond now, when she would less expect it? Trini could have laughed if everyone wasn't focused on her so intently. Either way they could die; rangers have gone into missions, plowing straight to the core of chaos, powerless or not.

Even for love.

She wanted to get to Jason. That was all Trini could think of that bellowed louder than any word could form.

"We go."

Trini was jolted from her thoughts by the unexpected voice that snapped everyone's attention away from her. Kim's eyes were two harden brown orbs with invisible hazes of energy as Trini's vision a lined with them.

" Its not your decision." Aisha snapped.

"There is no decision." Kim retorted, calmly, but firm. "There was never any decision to make in the first place. Alpha was clear that Diamond would be the hardest opponent any of us have ever come to face, we can't pass up the only chance we have to match up against her. We can't taste the waters and expect monster after monster to face against us till Diamond figures out that she's the only one adequate enough to defeat us. Diamond's already stated loud and clear that she has us; she has our leaders, which like it our not, are viewed to be more powerful than the rest of us. And she got them without the crystal. We can't fight her and expect to win, like our victories compared to everyone else before her. This is it.

"There is no going back from here. We're battling something that has damaged us greatly in a matter of a few hours. We're in a war with someone, who wants a crystal that can, very will do the opposite of its existence in a day. Why create, when you can destroy? A lot more is at stake here than the red rangers, its our home, Earth… KO- 35… Eltar…. everything. The entire universe in danger." Kim stuffed her hands into her pockets as silence pillowed her justification in her answer. "And that sword is the only defense we have. Despite any odds set before us."

In the impetuous passion of her words, Elder Heida was rooted still with pride and honor of this woman beside him. In a matter of short time, her presence was all the more dignified to him.

_Zordon, if your eyes could be upon this child now, you would know your gift is beyond wasted, old friend, _The elder mused, as her smiled softly in his delight.

"Wonderfully, supported, Kimberly." Kim nodded grimly, lowering her gaze as if it weren't her right to stand tall.

Trini's gaze unglued from her slowly, to the other rangers that's faces clear stated that Kim's speech had truck more than a nerve throughout each of them. Including her self. With nothing further said, everyone knew they were going to Platos.

No one objected.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

* * *

She found herself in this same position quite more often. Now that she had him in her cluches; sitting in her thrown room chair with the visual screen hovering before her, as she peaked in on her 'guests' was quickly becoming her favorite pastime.

Or atleast peaking on one of her guests.

She watched him, studied him with fascination and a growing thirst to have him. Her eyes lingered on every potent inch of his lusicious body. The tip of her finger wedged between her glossy red lips as an unaccountable heat crept over her. She had done it; she had broken the unbreakable.

Tommy Oliver, the grestest ranger of them all, was truly and utterly defeated. Or would be once she carried out the next phase of her plan.

Right on cue, her servent and head general, entered as silently as a moon would creep above mountains. The darkness of the room, made his body invisible, his eyes torching in the abyss, before her. He stepped into only beam of light that shined before the steps of her thrown, his midnight black armor stealing the light that touched down on him. His teeth peaked out from the corners of his muzzle, swept in black fur. The murderous glint of a sword hung on the left side of his waist; the hilt ready to be grasped when blood needed to be spilt.

A soft rumble of a growl left his jaw as he spoke. " My empress, you have summoned me?"

Diamond reached for her glass of red wine and lifted it to her nose to smell the berry potent scent. A furtive smile lightly curled her lips.

"Yes, I did, Jaze." She voiced comfortably. Something that made many tremple with terror as she sat in empowerment over them. Jaze waited patiently for her to speak as she took a long sip from her drink to voice the power to demolish, even impatience. She purred at the bitter sweetness of the liquor. " Tell me, how are we doing with our arrangements?"

"Very well, my queen." Jaze reported. "The armies are gathering, waiting to follow you to the very ends of this universe and any other for that matter. The planet Earth will not be able to counter against us. "

"Mmm..." She nodded, her thoughts elsewhere.

"Something else you wish to speak of my ledge?"

Diamond twirled her finger along the rim of her glass. " The next phase of my plan is ready to be put in place, Jaze." She stood and walked to the view screen, her black dress trained in her trail. "The red rangers...they need to see how serious I am about getting that crystal..."

"Shall I preceed to get the information for you?"

"No, no. The red rangers have to live, Jaze; we don't know which has the crystal or if we need all of them to get it. Besides, the red rangers are stubborn...treatinging to kill them will only make them stronger, but to kill the one they love..." Diamond trailed off, eyeing her second in command.

" Would be worst than their own deaths." Jaze agreed with her.

"Exactly. Unfortunately, I cannot use my mind probing powers to uncover the needed information about the crystal from the rangers. I can bearly scratch the surface, before the power to do so drains taps into my life support. It takes me a long to time as it is to recuperate, if I probe for more than a few mere seconds." She turned to him, her flamen eyes flaring in a dull light.

"Tell me, have you located that pink ranger, Kimberly?"

"No, my queen. She seems to have disappeared days ago. Other rangers have disappeared also." Jaze growled softly. "They must be coming after their friends."

"Yes. I have already predicted that myself."

"I'll capture them and destory them, immediately. When they reach even a hundred feet from our ship..." Jaze placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"No, let them come."

"Empress...?"

"I feel your concerns, Jaze. And I am most grateful for you being concerned of my strategy, but remember...It is my strategy, my plan, and direction to take. Do not ever question me, Jaze." She warned him, her eyes bored into his own deadly sight that was incomparable to her own.

"Yes, my queen. I will keep that in my mind and trust in your decisions."

" Of course, you will." Her eyes focused on the image of Tommy's face. The face of someone whose strength was drazzling thin, his heart breaking into ashes in her hands. But she did have the power to rebuild those ashes and refill them, mold them and recraft his desires. She smiled slyly. " Listen, closely, Jaze, because I'm only going to go over this once..."

* * *

**_Amora Journal_**

**_Jaguy Year (Eltarian Years) October 20, 1993 (Earthling Years)_**

**_Recorded by Zordon Liyuon Klan of Eltar_**

**_Translated by Alpha 5_**

_There comes a moment in every life, where the precious gifts exceeds beyond all boundries for itself. Perhaps theres no justifying way to go about this in words, but in place of words there is the glorification of emotions. Satisfaction. Inspiration. Completeness. The utter blinding exhilaration of knowing you're at peace with yourself. Knowing that you are truly home. _

_Five human beings, chosen before the day I brought them to me,destined for greatness, I cannot foresee, but feel. Jason, is a wise and strong presence with a soul that just reachs beyond his years. He is strong and kind spirited, collected and couragous, truly fitting to be the leader of this team. Zack, the most dynamic of the team, nothing could ever lower his tremendous spirit, drown his laughter and stamina. He is a fine asset to this team, always placing his friends well being before his own and eager to live life to the fullest each day. Billy, it never surprises me to see him soar beyond what he thinks he's capable of achieving. Brilliant and ardent to learn, he is truly the brains of this team and able to sucessed in far more that he believes. As for the girls, the darling young women in which the male of the five feel protective over , I find myself doing the same. Trini, the most honorable and serene. She lives by the flame of morality and if she feels the lives of her friends and all she stands for is at stake, she never hesitates to fight for them. Trini is truly a fine compliment to this team._

_ And then there's Kimberly. _

_The youngest of the five, lively and ebullient, she is perhaps more unsure of herself than Billy in the inside, but I very much fell in love with her heart and vibrant spirit from the very beginning. They will all grow into their own, but none I feel will grow as Kimberly will. Still a seed, she will fully bloom in time and each day I am eager to see what flower she will grow to be. _

_The five of them together, have grown up with one another and through their years of existance, I have watched them, secretly. The coins hav e choosen them each on their own and have protected them, the decision they've made is one I could do no better on my own. Still, I wonder of the where abouts of the sixth coin, the green dragon, that was taken from me by Rita Repulsa, before I was imprisoned in this energy cylinder for the remaineder of my life. Who would have been the choosen to bear its power? Down to the very core of my heart, I feel that one day we shall find out in an not to distant future. And the keeper of the dragon power will interwine with those of the five that I mentor today. _

_These five humans I now take under my wing, I see as my children and I have never felt for anyone as much as I do them. Earth is my home now and I must protect it as they have pledged to do themselves. _

_For now, our fight is with Rita, but the rise of true dakrness still lives, lingering within the deepest fabric of space. _

_The dawn of the power rangers is only the first step to its end._

* * *

**Sometime Later...**

* * *

Elder Heida reached within his ropes for the necklace resting against his collar bone and removed it, holding it up by the chain, treating the piece most delicately. The guards that were once present were told to leave the room, leaving the rangers and the Elder in peace. There wasn't much to say as each of them gazed at the piece wrapped in light and gleams of swirls, twisting with colors. The jewel was kept out streatched before him as he closed the remaining distance between himself and Trini.

"With this key, you will have the ability to open the door between realms and cross its path to Platos." Trini bowed her head forward as he placed the brilliant gem around her neck. She scooped her hair through the chain and then lightly grasped the stone to look at it.

" Can we use it to get back?" Maya inquired, gazing at the gem in Trini's hand.

" Upon the time the sword awakens it, the door will reopen for you all to pass through once again." He replied, informatively.

"And if we don't find the sword?" Kendrix asked.

" I have faith that you will."

" Faith, wonderful." Taylor murmured as she reached for her own pack, the guards had issued to each of them, before they left them in private. Collected in a chest beside Zhane, were their morphers, locked within the trunk for safekeeping. Elder Heida suggested it was best to leave them behind in exchange for laser blasters, provided to them. Any morphing energy would be terminated instantly, so the risk of having them damaged or misplaced was likely.

Gingerly, everyone agreed.

" I'll keep a close eye on your morphers." Zhane said gesturing the chest. "Morphing energy is a hundred times stronger than the energy it takes for a blaster, so you should have a good amount of distance on to the grounds where the sword is, before they shut down." The titanium ranger shook his head at the thought, but as Kim pointed out before, they had no choice.

"Zhane..." Karone cooed softly.

" I don't see why I can't go with you guys."

" We need you to stay in touch with Billy and ready the defenses we have here." Karone reasoned as Zhane helped her slip her backpack on to her shoulders.

" Our people need you to help lead the armies to defend themselves and Earth. You know as well as I do that its going to come to that."

Zhane spun her around to face him and placed both hands on her shoulders. His steel blue eyes were sharp as he spoke.

" You are my first priority." Karone nodded, biting softly on her lips as she walked into his embrace, laying a hard kiss on his lips. The kiss took away all the definitions of 'I love you' and enhanced it to unforeseen levels of divine bliss and ecstasy. When the kiss broke, Zhane want to gasp for breath, wanting the breath of her taste to be held within him forever.

"You're my first priority, too." She touched his face, fingers outlining the curve o his beautiful lips. Then she slowly walked away from him and to where the group stood a good distance away to allow them their private time. "That's why you have to let me go."

Zhane watched her move away from him, struggling not to accept this as the last goodbye. Elder Heida came to his side blinded from the concealed anger that Zhane fought not to release against him. It wasn't his fault for doing what any ranger would have done for the safety of human kind.

Ashley wrapped her arm over Karone's shoulders. "We'll make it back in no time."

Karone offered a soft smile.

" The task you are about to face will not be easy, you all will face the many remonstrance to test your purity and dedication." Elder Heida began. " Whatever you face, face together; that is when you are at your best. You will only recieve this chance once, so mind each other, care for one another and there is no doubt that you all will prevail."

"How do we use the gem?" Trini inquired, holding the stone in her hands. It laid coolly on top her fingers.

" Gather close and clear your minds to only the distanation you trying to reach." The women looked at one another, some doubtful, but preceedly to do as Elder Heida, instructed them to with a word.

Slowly, the crystal around Trini's neck hovered from her chest and lifted to her eye level, glowing in a pure white light. A gust of wind developed, rising the hair off the rangers shoulder and whipping them lightly in the air in a wild dance. A porto opened above them, blinding Zhane and the Elder till they were forced to turn their eyes away. The porto spiraled in a large circle as thunder erupted from its core and poured thick waves of energy that splashed down around the women, like water. The energy washed over their feet in swells of light, then pulled them in with a thundering wind left behind to announce their exit.

Silence shallowed the room, as the winds died and the storms receded into thin air. Zhane lowered his arms to his sides, his sheilds from the wind, and blinked at the empty space in the center of the room. They were gone. He looked to Elder Heida, wisedom and pride shined in the older man's eyes.

"May Zordon protect them." The Elder whispered.

* * *

**Authors Note: **

**Sept 18, 2006: **I just sectioned this off and deleted the authors note from my rants and rives. I'll make corrections later.


	14. Domino Effect

* * *

**Domino Effect **

* * *

The first thing she noticed before she opened her eyes was the sudden heat soaking her body like a second, thicker skin. Sweat already needled pointed her brow and curves of her neck till the moisture netted within her sleeveless red t- shirt. Bugs flew pass her ears like her ear space were warzones they participated in with full honor. The buzzing alerted her to swat in every direction for sweet remedy, snapping her senses to full alert.

The sun brightness brung the sun even more justice as the heat alone had proved to do on its own. Woven through knitted branches, the light managed to beam through an opening right above her, making the details of her new surroundings harder to take into vision. She rolled over onto her knees, twigs and pine tossed together with grass blades and leaves scrapping at the skin of her hands, and from the scratching along her neck, tangled through her hair. Finally, the brightness dimmed to the forest greens and deep browns of the trees that towered from every direction around her. Sunlight peaked through the tree tops enough to illuminate the floor below, but the lush of growth failing to prevent the heat.

Cassie slowly sat up, the weight of her backpack making its presents known. Her vision swam, everything blurring into shapes and bright colors, before things pieced back together, a fixed puzzle. She whipped away the tree dubris from her bare skin and untangled the pieces from within her hair.

_Thank goodness, Ashley talked me into getting that hair cut a few weeks ago. _Cassie thought, taking into full appreciation, her shorter and layered hairdo that brushed just below her neck. The new style burned away all past images of her once long and thicken do she sported long before she became a ranger. Her treats and complaints she had screamed before in protest as Ashley had lured her into a suprise trip to the hair saloon seemed pointless now. Cassie knew Ashley would just love to point that fact out.

That was when Cassie made one very crucial acknowledgement.

Ashley had not said anything.

No one had...Because, no one was even around!

" Guys?" Cassie whipped her head froom side to side, hoping her vision was deceiving her. " Hello! Someone answer me! Where is everyone one?"

It was when no replies came that Cassie looked around her to find that she was completely alone in the encircle of trees and the echoing sounds of the wild. She jumped up and down on the bend of her feet, her bag bouncing against her back as she stretched her neck in hopes of spotting anyone, but there was only miles of forest in every direction she looked.

" Hello!" Cassie screamed, the heat limiting her energy, she helplessly spent. She listened intently for a second and heard nothing. "Aww, man..." She groaned.

Cassie hiked up her pack, grasping the strapps along either side of her shoulders, the weight zapping a quarter of her energy, instantly, despite the design of bag being leveled, so it wouldn't weigh her down. Finding no reason to stay in one place, Cassie picked a direction and started walking.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

* * *

Aisha felt like she had been walking for hours. The trees didn't help, making each step she took as if she were retracing a path she already walked. The heat made her dizzy enough on its own, her body felt as if it were held within one big oven. She wondered for a long time how they had managed to all get seperated, but found it hard to think and concentrated on nothing other than, her feet carrying her. 

" Thank god, I'm wearing shorts." She mumbled, failing helplessly in her mind to try and look at the bright side of things. Already, her jean shorts and yellow tank stuck to her skin, damped with sweat. She had managed to place her braided hair into a pony-tail, the ends causing her shoulders to itch.

Aisha walked along the hard ground, branches breaking into splinters and the dry leaves crunching beneath her tennis shoes. Outside the fact, she was separated from the group and was lost, Aisha couldn't help, but admire the lush green tropical rain forest around her. The entire ground was blooming green with vines and roots, grounded tress that reached several stories to touched the sky. The tree tops shielded her from the suns full blown heat rays flooding through the tree limbs, its horridness touching the ground with a life of it own.

The yellow ranger stopped walking, whipping sweat away from her eyes as her mouth dried to her tongue. She swung her backpack off, the bag boxy and hard case shape a decent weight in her arms to suggest that was indeed something she might need inside. Her fingers ran over the outside of the silver case and located a button near the top, she pushed it and the bag broke the rectangle shape to allow access into her kitbag.

She rummaged through it enough to keep everything neat to where she could replace it back without any trouble. Aisha was surprised to find as much stuff in it than she suspected. A laser blaster stood out first, small and slick, but nonetheless deadly upon fire. A plastic container held nutrition bars and various fruits to eat, along with eating utensils that appeared to be a knife, spoon and fork. Below that container, a gray bundle of fabric that she unwrapped to show a thin hooded sweater for weather completely opposite from the rage of heat that attacked her. She dug deeper, another item prominence along the bottom, a blanket and a small pillow.

Either there were no tents small enough to nessle in a napsack or her bag wasn't the one carrying one. Not that it mattered to her right at that moment. The day looked a long ways away from sundown, so she would worry about shelter then, right now all she cared for was finding her some water. She emptied the overnighter, but found no source of water to quench her thirst.

"Perfect!" Aisha muttered, refilling her napsack with the contains she emptied from it. She closed the top and studied the pack more thoroughly, the outside was hard shelled compared to the inside, which was padded soft like the same padded fabric from the straps and the side that rested against her back. She looked more closely at the shell part of the bag, designed as if it held compartments groved with the same deep lines that told her where the button was to open her baggage.

Aisha pressed a cylinder shape compartment along the side that slight bulged out, the side of the the cylinder slid open to reveal a small handheld flashlight and an extra set of batteries. Aisha reclosed it and tried the next one. The second compartment was more boxed shape, no bigger than her hand, it popped open outward, allowing her to widen it to see what laid inside. A box of matches, needle and tread, first aid, and a utility knife that held various tools on either side.

"Don't tell me they supplied us with everything, but water." She said as she shook her head with disbelief. Aisha tried the last compartment, a small circle, she pressed it and was surprised to see that the circle popped out to reveal a small cylinder no bigger than the palm of her hand. She pulled it out and studied the small shape, expecting something to fall out of it, but only saw a full shaped cylinder with both sides capped off.

"What the hell?" She mumbled as she examined the circle more closely. Along the sides of the shape, fine lines encircled close to the top for the signature sign that there was an openning. Aisha unscrewed the cap, hopeful and critical of her findings all at once.

Within the small cylinder as she had feared was the water.

Aisha cursed under her breath as she preceeded to glup down the little portion of cold liquid in what would be a matter of milliseconds, only to find that the cylinder never stopped flowing with fresh water. The yellow ranger gazed at the container, bewildered and awestruck. She looked within the cup to find it as full as it was before she took a drink from it. Aisha didn't know how that was possible, but didn't bother to complain either. She swallowed down her fill and replaced the container back into its space on her bag, before hostling it onto her back again.

Aisha started walking again, when...

**RRRAWRRR!**

Aisha haulted as the sound tore through the silence in the air. From above, the beatings of wings caught air as little animals scattered out of sight. The source of the bellow that shook the creatures awake was unrecognizable, something disturbed and angered...and nearby. That was a telltale sign that it was definitely time to leave. Aisha threw a strap off one shoulder to hit the button on her pack and grab for her blaster.

**RRRAAWRRR!**

The call was closer than before. **  
**

**GRRAAWRRR!**

_Very close,_ Aisha thought, her heart starting to pound against her chest. _Move, 'Sha!_ Everything in her screamed. She heard something snap behind her only a few feet away and instantly bolted. Whatever it was, she didn't want to be the one around to see what it was.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

* * *

"Taylor!" Came a loud voice. 

The yellow wild force ranger spun around instantly crouched into a fighting stance, scared out of her wits, before she gained her fighting senses.

Taylor had no idea where she was and where everyone else had ended up, waking up and believing for a second that maybe she had dreamed the entire scenario in her sleep. Only it wasn't a dream, things never came, so easyly for a ranger. That she should have already known. 

Taylor exhalded a breath of pure relief, her muscles untensing as she saw a familiar face walk into view.

" Are you out of your mind!" Taylor raged, throwing up her hands. " Do you always come up behind people like that? Do you have any idea what I could have done to you!"

"Whoa! Calm down, I didn't mean to frighten you." Kelsey said, smiling as she stepped closer to her. " I'm just so happy to have found someone else in this place."

"You didn't scare me, just surprised me that's all." Taylor lowered her voice as she eased off, her own spirits settling in the company of the yellow ranger, where fear and loneliness had started to take the best of her.

"Right..." Kelsey said, eyeing her strangely in a way that said she thought differently. " Anyway, I'm guessing you had as much as luck as I've had finding any of the others." 

"Other than finding you, no luck at all, but I'll take this as a good start." Tayler took the opportunity to take a seat along a fallen tree limb that looked strong enough to hold more than her weight.

Kelsey took a seat next to her.

" I saw you through that break of trees over there. I knew it was you almost right away. I figured, slacks and dress shirts wasnt a common attire for the natives around here." Kelsey chimed in light humor. Taylor rolled her eyes after delivering her a pointed glare that Kelsey happily ignored. " So this is the planet Platos everyone is so worked up about, eh?"

" I guess so," Taylor took off her pack to welcome the needed relief off her back and shoulders. "All I know is, I want to hurry up and get this over and done with, so we can rescue Eric." Taylor added a second later, "And Cole and everyone else."

" Eric, huh? Didn't he work with the Time Force rangers?" Kelsey reminisced on the history of power rangers. " The red quantum ranger?"

" Yeah," Taylor shifted slightly under Kelsey's studying gaze.

" Oh, I get it now."

"Get what?" Taylor retorted, hunching over to rummage through her pack. "There's nothing to get."

"Except that attittude you've had since we were assigned this mission." Kelsey snapped back with an amused undertone.

"Kelsey, lets get something straight, I do not like Eric, if that's what you're trying to hint at and second of all, not like its any of your business...Wait! No. Actually, it is none your business." Taylor grumbled as she began withdrawing item after item from her pack and onto the ground on automatic. "And where the hell is the water in these things!"

Kelsey reached over and popped the circle on Taylor's pack, handing her the small cylinder, motioning her to unscrew the cap. Taylor gazed from the small portion of water to Kelsey and back.

Silence fell over the two for a moment.

"So," Kelsey said slowly as she reached for her own cup of water. " You have it in for Eric that bad, huh?"

Taylor glared at Kelsey incredulously as the yellow ranger drunk from her water, nonchalant.

* * *

**Somewhere In Space... **

* * *

They stood in silence, under a blinding cast of light, where from their toes and beyond was oceans of darkness that screamed like the gates of hell before it opened to flood you with embers more scorching than the suns. The heaviness of their breathing echoed off the solid walls that surrounded them from whatever distance they stood, but their hearts pounded deadly in their ears. 

They waited for what seemed like eternity, dragged away from their freezing cell in bone crushing grips that could easily tear at their bones in their famished and emasculated states. For days, they were starved, given only the chills of water that was splashed hatedly at their faces like ice picks to revive them, like the pain of energy currents that stopped and restarted their hearts more than once. Their were tears spilt and blood dispensed from their bodies onto the hands and blades of their enemies. Freedom came only in their dreams, dangling infront of their closed lids in the few blissful seconds they achieved rest or gained unconsciousness to graze their hearts by the tips of its fingers.

They were hustled of ledge after ledge, tortured and tormented beyond belief, but never had they been brought together to share their unescapable fates. They were left tied against pillars with cold, biting chains around their torso, ankles, and wrists. The silence drove them to insanity, making them wonder, if they were going deaf, until a single snap echoed and a light fell upon the floor in a single beam before them.

" I have a present for you, Tommy." Came a deep thoarty voice. A soft growl hissed as he laughed in appreciation of Tommy's weaken heart expressing through his eyes and body language. Tommy lifted his head, his eyes in thin slits, weighed with sweat and insomnia. " I have a present for all of you in fact, in the deepest regards of my queen."

"G- go to hell, Jaze." Tommy forced through his dry and peeling lips.

" You'll be there first." Jaze replied, cooly.

The general stepped into the light like a creeping mist over a lake, the shadows hanging on to him as if he were an angel of death. His piercing eyes burned in the dark like torches. Behind him two of his white cladded soldiers, half carried and half dragged, a hidden form that shaped into a familiar presence. The rangers gasped in horror as they brought the woman fully into the light. Looking at her from the edge of the light, they saw tears had trailed down her cheeks, slipping from the red buffiness of her eyes and sliding down to the ripeness of her pouty lips. Her long hair laid damp over her shoulders as if cold water had been poured over her. Her deep breaths echoed softly throughout the room as she struggled to gather air within her lungs. Her clothes were ripped and torn, revealing patches of bare skin along her body.

Tommy felt as if his heart had failed to the point he could finally not be revived. He couldn't breathe, his soul imploded in a spiral of emotions that overtook him through the past years he had fought to free himself of till this day. Tears couldn't express themselves profoundly anymore, they were beyond reaching the new definition of agony that Tommy had set to a new level that paralyzed him. No torture was worse than what he was feeling now, torment bleed everywhere from him. There was just no existing words crafted to explain what Tommy was feeling.

He tighten his eyes, his pupils forcing his vision to hold onto the sight of her. His tears rivered down his face in unstoppable currents through the rough stubble of a beard that was beginning to grow. The woman looked up with harden slit eyes that softened at the sight of him. Their eyes pieced and fused their souls in the distance.

"Tommy, its..." Jason whispered softly to him. He didn't want to believe what he was seeing, he couldn't believe that the sight was real. Not after so many years. "Its..."

Jason spoke, but Tommy zoned him out, mesmerized by the former pink ranger's eyes, holding onto the way she looked at him. The image would forever embed his mind.

" T- Tommy...!" She choked upon the letters of his name.

"Kimberly!" Tommy jumped out against the tightness of his chains, a new strength coursing through his blood and awakening his soul. Jason jumped aginst his own harnesses just the same. Neither one of them could burst free.

"Oh god, no! Kim!" Tommy screamed till his throat numbed in its stricken dryness, but he didn't feel it, all he felt was the thriving passion to burst free from his restraints.

" I knew you would be most pleased, Tommy." Jaze laughed, grabbing Kim by the base of her hair, yanking it back, so the light rushed down on her face. She cried in pain, Tommy's own heart screaming along with her. " It took us no time to find her and we can find your other friends, too."

" Let her go!" Tommy growled, the veins in his arms and neck stretched as he did everything in his power to get to Kim. " Let her go or I swear...! I swear to god, Jaze, I'll kill you! Do you hear me!"

"Silence!" Jaze roared, tossing Kimberly aside and stomping towards him. Jaze stood directly infront of Tommy, their eyes fusing together in a heated collision like two speeding trains bolting toward one another. Both glared deep within the other, two warriors eloped in silent battle that flared beyond anything ever fought.

The long stealthy blade of Jaze's sword was mute as he pulled it from the black and silver designed sheath at his waist. The blade gleamed a burning silver as he held it threateningly infront of Tommy's face.

" You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this moment, Tommy. To kill you, pierce through your skin with my sword and set your soul free to even where the heavens can't mend it. And to have you beg for mercy and stain my blade, before even your blood courses down it." Jaze's eyes danced like crimson flames. " It shall be honorable nonetheless, the greatest ranger of all time defeated by the greatest of all generals for the universes glorious dark queen!"

" Honorable? You have me tied." Tommy said, seething in a low and steady voice. " Let me go, and I'll show what a great ranger can really do."

"Tommy, no! Argh!" Kimberly screamed in pain as the two hitchmen violently yanked her to her feet. Kim tried to yank her arms from their steel grasp, but the more she fought the tighter they held on to her. She grunted, clamping her teeth together to surpress the pain that welled up within her.

" Let her go, Jaze and take me!" Tommy felt his emotions split, ripping wide in the pure white flames of rage he felt for the warrior before him and the woman who in an instant held all of him within her.

Jaze barked out a laugh.

" As they say, Tommy, ladies first." He lowered his sword and raised his free hand at Kimberly. His powers vined up his arm to his fingers forming an energy orb in his palm.

The red rangers shouted in protest, but with glorious speed, the orb left Jaze's gloved hand and flowed right into Kimberly's chest. Kimberly's mouth opened to scream, but the cry never left her lips as the energy ran through her, so hotly her body shivered and withered dry of life.

Jaze's eyes didn't bother to unglue from Tommy's face, needing to soak up every ounce of agony that tidal waved through him like an unstoppable tsunami.

Tommy cried wordlessly and pure passionately with emotion. His chains started to cut at his torso more deeper than before, retearing the scabs that had begun to heal and cutting the unbroken skin that was available as he used every bit of his being to get to her. The veins in his neck popped, eyes bulged and muscles tightened against the chains that only creeked in protest.

The orb sank into Kim's flesh, her eyes sapping dull and lifeless as her body dropped to a heap on the cold floor. Red streams found pathways out her ears, lips and eyes. Tommy screamed in agony, tears just pouring out of him as he sobbed.

" No...oh god...oh, please god, no! Kim...Don't take Kim...God!" Nausea turned his stomach.

Jason froze stiff as he looked at his fallen friend that he couldn't protect. That at first, he couldn't find and now he couldn't save, embrace, and anything and everything else with that the last seven years had robbed of them both. His tears blurred his vision, Kim's petite figure becoming a mash of fused color. He blinked his eyes only to once again see with a clear vision, the lifeless form of the only person he ever called his sister.

And on top of that, he knew he had lost a brother the same instant he lost Kim. Jason looked over to his brother and best friend, wanting to do anything to prevent the deaths within this day and the future. In Tommy, he saw himself, and the love of a woman, he valued more than anything life had to offer. He saw what Trini's death would take from him.

_If anything were to ever happen to her_...Suddenly, his heart and conscious attacked him. Everything in him just hurt; he hurt for his friends, for himself, the thought that it could have been Trini instead of Kim, and the guilt of being thankful that it wasnt Trini.

Everything just hurt...and Jaze bathed in it as if pain was blissful.

Jaze grinned as he watched Tommy cry out for the former ranger in pain. As the original red ranger stared out helplessly to his former partner and murmured her name in weakness. The other red rangers could only look on in silence, powerless at what to do, crazed at the thought of seeing one of their own love ones dead, and understanding that torment had finally exceeded inflicting pain on them, but on to their loved ones as well.

_The message was recieved._

_A grand success!_

The last thing Jaze wanted to do was to hide his delight at their idiocy. Even more than that, the last thing he really didnt want to do was keep them alive.

_They're all fools, unworthy, _Jaze mused, darkly. _Nothing worth even pitying. These were the great power rangers? Hardly a challenge and completely imcompetent. How shameful! _

So he laughed.

Laughed with glee at the raging of the most legendary of all rangers threats and feeble broken heart. He would give anything to have the real pink ranger here just to kill her again. To kill every ranger that ever set face amongst the universe that should fear him and his queen. That should be within their ruling and fall subject to their power.

And it would happen in the end.

The plan was unfolding, perfectly.

Tommy cried bloody murder, a blissed fury that was cold against whatever sat in place of Jaze's heart. His words meant nothing. He would kill them one by one, when all was over, they would all die by his blade and he would succeed in what others could never do. All this when the proper time presented itself. For now, he would take the upmost pleasure in redeeming his yearnings with what he was ordered to do next, if that could bring him any ounce of justice.

Jaze approached the red ranger, his blade raised at his waist, his hand grasped onto the hilt tightly. Within the last couple of feet between them, his sword lashed forward with keen accurarcy through Tommy's chest. The words became dead on his lips, the last few breaths escaping in straggled gaspes of breath. Jaze carefully embodied his powers through his wicked blade within the flesh of the body on the other end. The others screamed, but their voices were like annoying buzzes flying pass his ears.

They merely were here to witness.

Tommy leaned forward heavily on his restrains, his body still held erect in the chains tightness. The wicked blade pulled out as easily as it went in, dripping at the edge with prized blood. He flashed the sharpness of his teeth to the one called Jason, the human bellowing out till his throat became raw and he cried more beyond that.

Just as quick and easy, he sliced the holding from Tommy's body and had his servants collect his remains. They dragged him away, out of sight from the rest of the rangers, and soon after dragged away the one they called Kimberly.

"Take them back to the cell." He ordered the remaining of his hitchmen.

Jaze turned his back on the collection of red rangers and walked away, the blood on his sword leaving small pools of crimson behind him in trails to his rising triumph over their pathetic little lives.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

* * *

Trini wiped her brow with her arm, the scorcing heat ripping at her skin. Only a few hours into the mission and they were already having trouble...Again! 

She grasped the crystal that hung around her neck, the sun caused its body to shine more brilliantly and even in the extreme heat, it could not rob it from its cool temperature. She let it go from her fingers and allowed it to rest against her neck bone, beads of sweat running around it, cooling her with what little they could give.

Trini was still amazed by her surroundings. The trees around her stretched on forever it seemed, all bloomed to a lush of green and more breathtaking than trees she had ever seen on earth. She saw flowers buds bigger than her fists and some already bloosmed with petals that stretched out from the length of her elbow to the tip of her middle finger. The color peterns were painted in every color imaginable, all equally beautiful and exotic.

_I wish Jason could see this, _She thought, sadly.

A cold chill ran through her. The thought made her realize how much she truly missed the original red ranger. Up till now, she fought hard not think about him and to keep herself concentrated on the mission, on being leader of a team, but her heart overwhelmed her till she found herself needing to be with him more than anything else. Till he invaded her thoughts despite her urgency was to just get through the day without imagining the worse rather than the best she was striving for each day.

Trini smiled as she remembered the way his hand would run up and down her arms, before his arms enclosed themselves around her, and he gave her that look he knew sent her over the edge. The look that drove her deeper into him and held onto her. Trini's eyes drifted close for a brief second as she lost herself within the memory and she walked mindlessly through the trees into an opening in the tropical forest.

**Plop!**

Trini sheirked in surprise. She tried to move her legs...she couldn't. She was stuck! Trini opened her eyes to find herself knee deep in the ground.

_Quicksand, _Trini thought, incredulously. _I close my eyes for a few seconds and I fall into quicksand! And not ordinary quicksand either. _

Trini studied the ground more closely, the surfaced bubbled and spiraled around her knees then pulled her in a few more inches to her thigh without an ounce of movement to aggravate it. Quicksand responded to movement, Trini knew that and had gone dead still once she realized what it was that she stepped in, but the ground was sucking her in anyway.

And tightened.

It clenched her legs together and drug her from the edge of solid ground as if it had a life of its own. Vines reached across tree branches that hung nearby, but no branch nor vine was close enough for her to grasp and pull herself free. And if she moved, her upper body could topple into the clenches of the sand.

Trini was just stuck and sinking further into the liquids grip.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

* * *

**RRRAAWRRR!**

**GRRAAWRRR!**

Aisha pushed herself harder.

Faster.

The taunting sound of danger growing louder behind her. Something broke through the trees trying to catch her, hunt her for a nights fest. Her chest burned and pierced with pressure from trying to collect some fresh air to breathe, her legs screamed for her to stop, tensed and sore to the point she was sure they would crumble beneath her. Branches and bushes she passed scraped her bare legs and arms as she darted through them with no awareness of what lurked beyond them, the snaps and crunches of the broken pieces alerting all creatures nearby.

Aisha prayed for them to be quiet.

She was exhausted and the heat made her daze and stumble from an instant of dehydration in the intense heat. She couldnt feel anything but the thumping of her heart anymore and the sweat slicking her body and moisening her hand that grasped her blaster. The warning shots she took every so often behind her in the creatures direction didn't stop it from charging forward.

She could her the limps of thick tree limps bending away and snapping like twigs with no chance of resistance against the animal's body.

**GRRAAWRRRLL!**

Its roar was gettting louder by the second. Aisha was terrified that if she were to stop its breath would be breathing down her neck in no time, before it took a bite right out of her throat.

She was wrong.

Aisha took a bold second to glance over her shoulder and saw the beast hurling forward only a feet away from her heels. She didn't need to stop for it to catch up, it was doing that just fine with her running at full speed.

"Someone help me!" The trees she ducked through, threw themselves to the ground as the pursuer sprinted through them on four legs and feet that punched the ground hard, causing the ground to shake beneath her feet. Aisha glanced back again and this time was gifted with a clearer view of her attacker.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

Its body was shaped as a furless grizzly bear with clear green slim slicked over its body and twice the size of an average grizzly. Its mouth was lipless and exposed needle thin sharp teeth that caused its jawline to bulge out. Its body was pure muscle that pumped with each gaint leap he took that reminded her of a leopard speeding forward. Its two eyes popped out of its head in a sickening way with red pupils ill with yellow corneas that bathed around it like tears.

Aisha stumbled forward, her foot catching hold against a jagged rock that sent her hurling forward onto her hands and knees and tearing away the sensitive skin. Her blaster flew out of her sweaty hand and sailed beneath a bush a good distance away from her. She grimaced as a shooting pain coursed through her leg and ripped skin, but couldnt worry about that now, she had to keep running. But by the time she got back up to her feet, the beast had closed in the remaining distance between them.

The creature blasted forward, striking her down to the ground like an eighteen wheeled truck with faulty breaks. Her backpack snapped off her shoulders as if it were tied onto her back by cheap thread. The wind was knocked out of her lungs and her back screamed bloody mary as the beast's massive clawed paw cut three seven inch cuts along her back. The former ranger screamed in tears as she felt her skin tearing open with the blades of claws. The pain was enough to send her into a coma and seeing the trees around her popping in flashs of white from the pains intensity. She reached behind her back to feel wetness touch her fingers, dazed, terror-stricken, and trembling beyond her control as she pulled her fingers back to find blood.

Her blood.

Aisha tried to scramble backwards away from the monster, but she knew the slightest movement would get her killed faster. Tears clouded her eyes as the monster hovered over her, its mouth drooling in hunger and dripping globs of thick saliva onto the ground around her head. It raised a massive paw with its claws outstretched, Aisha's body tensed, preparing for the shock of another impact. She couldn't breath, its breath sufficated her making it extremely hard to inhale and exhale, more or less take in its revolting odor.

She waited for the darkness to come as the hulking forepaw decended downward.

Her eyes tightened shut.

"**RWOAR!**" The beast bellowed up towards the sky.

Voices called for her to get away as the monster roared wildly as if in agony and pounded the ground around her in inaccuracy of its laid out target. Aisha could feel the air shift and soften to her lungs as the breath of the beast was removed from over her. Slowly, she opened her eyes to see the net of treetops above her and next her in a lifeless heap, the native beast. Bloody holes seered with steam from the shoots heat and freed yellow plasma through the mess of mucus coated skin of the creature's tank built body. It jaw dangled open, releasing a long, snaked tongue with large lumps swelled on its surface across the needles of its forearm length teeth.

A voice muffled against her ears as her heart erupted louder than anything else around her. She felt something touch her shoulder and she jumped in shock as pain fused through her nerves from the split skin making open contact with the hard, tree dubris ground beneath her. More hands tried to grasp for her, but her vision hazed and danced with black shadows and tears that burned her eyes.

She fought harder, the pain blinding her senses as the eyes that gazed down at her blended into a spiral of darkness and she began to find it hard to move her mouth. Gravity pushed her limbs flat and still on the surface of the floor and the pummeling of her heart against her chest hit her hard till she became entranced by its rapidness.

Her head bobbed to the side as a wave of daziness over took her and saliva leaked out the corners of her mouth riding off the heaviness of her tongue, before the darkness struck her with full force.

Pulling her into nothing.

* * *

**TBC **

* * *

**Authors Note:** I found a loop hole to get my writings done, so I spent all day yesterday and my time before work today to upload this chapter. Sorry about my rants and rives in the last chapter, just a bad day, but even then I should have realized that there are people who suffer much worst than I do, so I could have dealt with my 'pains' easily. Anyway, I'll go back and make edit corrects on chapter 13 when the day grants me the time to do so. Until then, thank you for the 19 reviews on chapter 12 ( The highest review tally for a chapter within this story!), the 13 reviews of chapter 13 and all the rest since the beginning. You guys are truly the best!

Now, I have to get ready for work. Grrr. Haha. Review, review, review! Updates will come as soon as I can make them. Next I have to finish my chapter for my second story, so look out for that and thanks to the readers who read and reviewed that one.

Love you guys!

** EclipsingFlames**

* * *


	15. Divided In Tears

* * *

**Divided In Tears  
**

* * *

Cassie collapsed on to the bed of leaves beneath the cool shadows of a tall tree. She rested her back against the thick base of the trunk, pulling her cup of water from its compartment on her bag. The cool water poured down the dry caverns of her body and released its wet touch to unbalance the heat flooding around her. She pulled her short hair into a small pony tail to minimize what little heat she could, before proceeding to pull her top half way up her stomach. She rolled up the ends of her pants legs to drained to cut the leggings into shorts. When she leaned back, her eyes had already began to sink beneath the folds of her eye lids and the darkness within teasing her body with needed rest. The tree tops became blurry diamonds and circles of light that swirled and danced around one another in a waltz of daydreams that lured her. 

_A few minutes never hurt anyone,_ She thought lazily as her mind eased to rest within memories. A smile whispered on her face.

" Cassie?" A voice called. "Cassie, is that you?"

"Okay, so maybe it does hurt _someone_ when you try to get some rest." Cassie muttered under her breath. "Because, I'm tired enough to kill at this point."

The former pink ranger hopped up from her spot on the ground, fully alert as sweat smoothed down her abs from her hunched position against the tree. Her eyes wondered around her surroundings, miles of trees still and quiet of anyone passing through them.

"Don't till me I've finally gone crazy." She said, tilting her face back to the sky as her eyes glued shut with sweat.

" You're not going crazy." A blur of color splashed down from the tree tops above, right behind Cassie with a soft thump that scared the pink ranger, as if hell were jumping at her.

"Ahhh! What the...! What the hell are you doing!" Cassie shouted, after she jumped and spun around, catching a glimpse of the movement through her burning eyes.

"Easy, I didn't mean to- Hey!" Maya jumped back from Cassie's wild swing in her direction. "I said, I didn't mean to scare you. Stop swinging at me!"

"Stop jumping out of trees when we're on some alien world to scare me to death!" Cassie cried, her heart pounding within her chest as her hands leaped through the air in her exclaim. Her throat was already burning and scratchy like sand paper from the energy drain and the heat.

"Maya, are you okay?" Three figures leaped out of a nearby brush, alert and combat ready... and sending Cassie's heart into another shock. Cassie spun around, hair whipping free from her pony tail as her hand shot to her chest as her stricken gaze greeted the new arrivals.

"Breathe, Cassie." Maya cooed, rubbing the ranger's back.

"What's with all the yelling?" Tanya breathed, frowning at the two with her hands clenched at her sides. "We thought someone was being attacked."

"We're fine," Maya assured as Cassie's shock slowly dissolved. " It was my fault; I terrified Cassie when I was scouting ahead through the trees."

"Yeah," Cassie nodded, gingerly. "Plus, it didn't help that I had my own sweat burning my eyes and bluring my vision." She offered Maya a small smile, before she chuckle at her behavior. " Despite all that, I'm happy to see everyone. Being all alone in a place, like this was starting to frizzle my nerves."

"I could hardly tell." Maya assured, though she couldn't hide her smile as Cassie grinned at her.

"I would like to know how we got split up in the first place." Karone spoke, mostly to herself. "We all left together and woke up alone."

"I'm wondering, if Elder Heida knew we were going to be split up in the first place." Tanya grumbled, shaking her head in distaste. "The guy knows so much about this place, yet didn't bother to tell us we had to search for one another, before we had to search for the sword? I don't buy it. This is wasting what little time we have already."

" Elder Heida said there would be many test. Maybe, this is one of them." Tori suggested, gaze meeting Tanya's.

"Look, all that matters right now is that we find the others." Cassie swiped a rain fall of moisture off her forhead. "And get out of this place. How far did you guys travel before you found me?"

"About a miles walk coming from that direction, but that doesn't include how long it took us to find each other, before we found you. Nor does it help us find the others any faster." Maya had said, pointing where they emerged from the jungle. " I can see alot better above ground, but the trees are too thick to see whats beyond a half a mile ahead. Plus, I think I don't want to travel up high for a large amount of time; the inhabitants up there are not too kind about strangers. This place is nothing like Mironi."

"Now that we found Cassie, you think we could take a lunch break?" Tori inquired, already working the straps off her back. " I hate to complain, but hiking around in extreme heat is not my proficiency. And being hungry is not helping, either."

Tanya nodded at the young ranger, feeling her own stomach quiver with hunger and her throat burn bone dry. She looked up through the nestle of branches that extended from the trees, the blue sky scattered dimly throughout the brightness of sun rays flooding over head. The extreme climate reminded her of the savannah lands of her homeland back in Africa, causing her heart to shiver, feverishly to the thought of all the years she had been away from her tribe.

Time was incomprehensible. When the world was spun back a few years by Master Vile, Aisha went to Africa to find her zeo crystal, but had found that she had more family there as well. Discovering she had a cousin was the most preeminent day of Tanya's life, a day that opened the door to everything she cherished today. Since that day, Tanya had become apart of something more than she could have ever expected would happen to herself, she became a power ranger. Being a power ranger, lead her to getting her parents back after all those lost years of separation. Being a ranger helped her find Adam, the man she love, her best friend, and the person she missed terribly.

Tanya shook away the memory of him for later, thinking of him only made being away from him hurt more, because being a power ranger also meant putting the line of duty first.

" We should settle down here for a while and recuperate. We're no good, if we pass out from dehydration and its very easy to under a sun, like this." Tanya sighed, running her hand over her curls pulled tightly back into a pony tail.

" Maya, you should take one more look at our surrounds from a high perch, just incase anyone decides to sneak up on us." Karone insisted as she surveillanced their surroundings, carefully. "Take your blaster with you; I can't shake the bad vibes I get from this place."

"We shouldn't be here for long. We should cover as much ground as we can, before night fall. I for one, don't want to see whats on the prowl out here." Tanya reasoned, thoughtfully. " One thing I've learned about growing up in Africa is that the most dangerous predetors come out at night."

"We both see eye to eye on that for sure." Maya agreed, tucking her blaster carefully into her waist band. She hustled herself up a nearby tree, skillfully scurrying up the tree and through the dress of leaves and branches, and out of sight.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

* * *

"Aisha!" Kat's hands hovered over her, fearfully. The fragility of the petite's body, spilling blood onto the ground, creating a paste with the dirt and leaves. 

Dana kneeled to their side, holding up Aisha's wrist to feel for a pulsing vain just beneath the palm of her hand. Faintly, the sign of life shivered against her fingers, drawing out a breath of relief from Dana lips, before she spoke.

" She's unconscious." Dana quickly examined the deep gashes torn into Aisha's skin. "I need to check her back. Help me turn her to her side, gently."

Katie lowered herself down to her knees, after swiftly scouting the area with a trained eye. With Kat's help, they both eased Aisha on to her side, carefully keeping her neck straight and braids brushed away from her back.

Dirt stuck to Aisha's skin, her tank torn where the beast slashed. The seven inch slashes invited grime into her broken skin. Dana removed her pack emptying out the needed first aid kit supplies, her cup of water and a small wash cloth. Pouring out a portion of her drinking water onto the cloth, she carefully cleansed around the deep gashes, avoiding to not irritate the wounds. As Katie and Kat kept Aisha to her side, Dana leaned her body closer to the ground till her sight reached the level of the yellow ranger's back. The localized skin around the lesions were already reddening and puffed with pus that gathered up in thick coats beneath her shirt. Dana touched a cleansed patch of her skin and nearly whinched at the burning hot temperture that was not inspired by the climate.

"How does she look?" Katie inquired, truly concerned as she easily kept Aisha leveled on to her side. Her blaster glazed with sweat dripping from her other hand and slid easily within her palm.

"Is she going to be okay?" Kat quickly follow. She brushed Aisha's hair away from her face as her head rested against the inside of her knee from her seated position on the ground.

"These wounds... something isn't right about them." Dana murmured quietly as she rose, snatching her flashlight from it compartment. A second thought of caution made her grab for her blaster as well.

"What are you doing?" Katie inquired as Dana stepped closer to what was now a carcass.

"I just need to take a closer look at something," Dana answered softly, her attention already zoning on to her task. She then glanced back at Katie as she stood. Kat remained seated on the ground craddling Aisha as best as she could on her own. "Make sure her back doesn't touch the ground till I get it bandaged up."

Kat nodded, her arm stretching to Aisha's middle to keep her waist from twisting to the side. Katie looked towards Dana, her finger trailing to the trigger of the blaster as she stayed close to Kat, just incase she need her aid.

"Dana..." Katie's apprise trailed off to a soft whisper as Dana cautiously kneeled next the the beast massive paws, the pink ranger's blaster still trained at its head. Katie leveled her own blaster, just incase the alien creature, so much as blinked. Kat took the precaution to lean over Aisha, pulling her own blaster tightly into her hand.

Dana swallowed, steadily lowering the nose of her blaster to poke the beast's beefy leg...

Nothing.

Dana pulled her weapon away with ooze trailing from the end in thin lines gushing from the animal's skinless body. Still, the pink ranger knew better than to believe a creature this massive would stay down, even after a few quarter sized holes burnt through the body. Taking every precaution she could, she studied the carcasses paw that held the razer thin claws erect at the end, yellow fabric from Aisha's shirt laid next to it. The claws were long, curved at the tips to strongly grip the ground, and obviously, tear inch wide cuts through its prey. The fluid from its body ran over the nails and released small gasps of steaming driplets onto the ground. Dana switched on her flashlight, hoping to illuminate something on the nails the sunlight couldn't expose. Green veins from the beast's wrist rivered down to its nails where they peaked out in clear torns, beneath the claws.

"What did you find?" Dana was startled as Katie now stood over her, her blaster still aimmed, dead center at the fallen creature's head.

"It's claws," Dana rose whipping the sweat from her chin as she looked over to Katie. " I think, they held poison to comatose its prey. Aisha's cut's along her back are already infected with it and seeped into her system. I knew something was wrong the instant I cleansed them, the skin around her wounds are burning hot to the touch and already developing an abnormal discharge and color. I need to get them cleansed right away, but I don't think it'll be enough. I need more supplies, antibiotics."

"You can help her, right?" Kat inquired, hopeful. Her voice honey dipped with her Australian accent. "She will wake up?"

Dana sighed.

"I can cleanse the wounds as best I can with the supplies we have," The lightspeed ranger conceded, gently. " I can stitch the cuts and banage them, but theres no way of determining when she'll awake. If the poison acted this fast, it must be strong. Really strong."

"What about...deadly?" Kat's voice strangled with a tremor as she fought to contain her posture.  
Katie's jaw clenched at the words as Dana lowered her eyes to the ground. 

"I'm not for certain," Dana confessed, easing back down onto her jean covered knees.

"You have to give her a temperary dressing for now." Katie said, taking a knee as the two rangers looked at her for answers. " That creature is giving off alot of odor, something tells me it'll draw in more predators in no time; we'll have to make some distance. Get as far away from here as we can, before another one comes."

Dana was already at work upon that fact as Kat held on protectively to Aisha through out the dressing of her bandage. Soon, Dana was done, a temperary bandage wrapped around Aisha's torso, the rest of what was left of her tank cut away just below her bosom.

Katie kneeled at Aisha's side as Kat attempted to raise Aisha's upper body with one arm under each of Aisha's own.

" I'll carry her." Katie assured, the pain on Kat's face weakening her heart and fueling her strength to craddle the yellow ranger even more gently. Kat stayed close to her side as Katie held Aisha in her arms as if she were a newborn in her mother's arms. Dana placed an arm across Kat's shoulders to lend her own aching resiliency to go on.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

* * *

" Its coming from over there!" Kendrix leaped forward through the thickness of trees that stood in their way. 

" I hear her!" Alyssa shouted, just a step or two behind her with Jen and Ashley hurling through the vines, right on her heels.

Kimberly took lead, her body trained to the environment around them as her senses picked up the very breaths being taken from several feet away. Chippers and hissing of the wild fused in a rush of untamed wind blowing pass her ears as she charged through a wall of thick roped vines caging their destination. She broke out of the trees and into a harbor of a clearing with a simple patch of bare ground that defied solidness with light ripples across its surface, and Trini sunken shoulder deep within its center. The others fell in line behind her, their breathing labored and chests thighten from the heat as the sight before them widening their eyes with dismay.

"Trini!" Ashley cried, inhaling the sight with an stricken expression.

Trini's cheeks puffed, trying to suck in the air in a strain to remain stationary in the pool. Her body was turned away from them, her face and eyes redden with distrested eyes as they sought out to gaze at them from the corner of their sockets. Globs of sand pulped her face, soaking her hair and swirled tightly around her shoulders as she sat there afloat and unmoving.

"No one take another step," Jen ordered, her eyes dashing around the ground in front of them, unable to decipher the solid ground from the liquid of the pit.

"We have to get her out of there." Alyssa stated, heart quickening in her chest. "She's not going to be able to hold out much longer."

" We need rope; theres some in our packs that we can use to make a lasso and pull her out of there." Jen said, already ripping through her supplies for rope with Kendrix following suit.

"Hang on, Trini!" Ashley said, kneeling to the ground, closer to Trini's level.

Kimberly's eyes darted across the surface, trying to pinpoint the difference of the solid ground from the sand, before casting her gaze to nearby trees, then back to Trini. Her heart quivered as more globs of sand sloshed up like air bubbles from around her to her lips. The sand pulled her deeper, pushing out a grimace from Trini's lips as she was now drug down to her neck.

Something was very wrong with this picture.

"The quicksand is still pulling her in," Kimberly observed, softly. Alyssa stood at her side, catching the whispered words as the others knotted their lassos of rope together. Kim shook her head, absently touching Alyssa on the arm. " The quicksand is still pulling her in!"

" Thats what quicksand does!" Jen said in her rising fustration of Kim, pointing out something already self- evident before them. "Now stop standing there and help us with this rope!"

"No, look!" Kim barked, pointing out to the center where Trini remained unmoving. " Trini's not moving at all. If you don't move in quicksand, your body should be able to float. Why is she still sinking?"

"We don't have time to stand here and think it over." Jen shouted back, tying two ends of rope in a quicken pace as she and Ashley stood.

"She's right, " Kendrix observed. " Quick sand is just water and sand, if you don't agitate it, you don't sink, but Trini isn't moving at all. She isn't floating, when she should be."

"And its hurting her." Kim could hear the ripples of silent agony buried within Trini's throat. That caught Jen and everyone's attention as Kim voiced the rising disclosure. "Something has her."

As if to justify Kim's words, the sand slushed in tight spirals around Trini neck, burping up more bubbles of sand on to her face. Her lips tighten shut, her nose collecting sand to block her airways. Trini stiffly tilted her head back, but the movement was felt and she was dragged down to her ears in sand, causing more painful grunts to slip from her lips.

Alyssa couldn't watch anymore. She snatched the rope out of Jen's hands, looping the lassoed end around her petite frame.

"What are you doing?" Ashley inquired as the shorter ranger tossed her the other end of the rope.

"If Trini moves, she'll be pulled in for sure. I'll go in and grab her, fast." Alyssa spoke hurriedly as she tossed her pack aside into the safety of the path they had came from. "Then you guys can pull us both out.

"If you go in whatever is under there, will drag you under, too." Kendrix opposed.

"Well, if you have a better idea, now is the time to voice it." Alyssa pressed on.

"Alyssa is lighter than all of us, it has to be her, so we can pull the two of them out easily." Kim spoke, dropping her gear and slipping the loose end out of Ashley's hand. She looked at the nearest tree, thickly round, and towering above them with strong and stable branches a few feet over their heads. One branch hung parallel over Trini's head, strong enough to hold five times her own weight. Without a word, Kim tied the end of the rope on her wrist and scampered up the tree with amazing grace and agility, careful to not catch the rope across any vines or free branches. With great ease, she pushed herself up onto the targeted branch, her hands burning from the bark of the tree and collecting splinters. She rose to her feet, her body shivering and out of practice from her golden gymnast days on the balance beam, but still trained to the design of trees.

"What is she trying to do?" Jen inquired, confused and eyeing Trini's descent through the sand with terror turning her stomach.

"She's making it alot easier for us to pull them out." Ashley answered, quickly catching on.

"Guys! I need more rope, these are too short." Kim called from above the sand, lowering herself into a seated position on the branch. "Hurry up!"

Jen jumped to the nearest pack, clawing through the contains for more rope to extend the cord. She pulled out a bundle from Alyssa's pack, still bound tightly into a lasso. The distance to the branch where Kim was perched, only allowed one chance for Kim to grab it in midair. Everyone held their breath, the rope circling through the air, curving down to a decent when Kim barely caught the bundle within her hands, nearly slipping off the side of the tree. Slowly, the rope unraveled in her hands the end touching the surface of the pool below just enough to agitate it, then Trini slipped below the surface.

" Oh my god, she went under!" Ashley screamed. Alyssa dived, rather the end was tied or not, she had to get Trini. Upon the grand announcement of her invasion, the sand swallowed down like a vaccum in one slurp with the rope trailing behind. Kim fought to maintain her balance, desperately tying the extra rope to add more slack to the end. She wrapped the rope over the branch so that it could hang down, then tossed the end over to where Jen, Ashley and Kendrix stood waiting. They pulled the rope taunt instantly, the end still dragging into the pool in a slow yet steady pace.

Kimberly rushed down from the tree, rejoining the group as the solid illusion of a ground stood still around the cord that snaked through the surface.

"Everyone start pulling!" Jen heaved on the rope, Kim grabbing on to the end behind them. The force on the other end was almost unyeilding, their muscles straining from the protest along the other side.

"We have to get them out," Kendrix grunted, yanking sedulously on their end of the line. "They've been under for too long."

"Everyone pull at once, hard!" Kim barked, not caring that the skin of her hands treaten to bleed with fire. " Pull!"

As she ordered, they heaved collectively on the rope with a great thug, the bottemless pit of sand releasing slacks of rope it had swallowed.

"Again!" Kim shouted, backing into the edge of the trees with the rest following. More rope gave and the resistance weakened to their efforts.

"I see them!" Ashley announced, her glee frosted within her demanding labor stealing her breath.

"Keep going!" Jen groaned from behind her, her feet sliding forward as her body drove back. " Don't stop till their out."

The others heaved with great force, Alyssa and Trini's heads, both emerged from the sandy depths. Alyssa coughed and glupped up the air into her lungs through the spoon fulls of slush that splashed along her face, Trini pulled close in her arms, unmoving. Whatever was beneath the sand, didn't like having things taking away from it. Its grasp on the two rangers, drug them down once more, dragging the four rangers forward along with the rope. Ashley's toes dug into the edge of the pool, before she quickly jumped back, yanking the rope backwards with anew determination.

The two rangers head pludged out of the sand up to their waist line, the rope driving up to Alyssa's under arms as she embraced the taller woman against her. Kim dug her feet deep into the ground, gradually rounding the trunk of the nearest tree for more momentum, sending the two rangers ascending through the air over the wet sand.

"Theres something down there!" Alyssa gagged on the wet sand burning her lungs and throat, before she screamed at the pressure around her legs pulling her downward. " Its got us both!"

The other had already seen it- Long blacken cords of tentacle dancing wildly out of the sand by the dozens, gripping Alyssa by the legs, and dragging Trini out of her arms by the torso.

" What is that?" Kendrix shouted, still pulling on the rope.

"We need our weapons!" Jen grunted, sweat tearing down her face and muscles tense from the weight on the other end.

"Hang on, I'm going to tie this end off on the tree." Kim wrapped the rope around the tree trunk, the others pulling the end as taunt as they could to keep Trini and Alyssa high above the pond of sand and monster submerged beneath.

"Alyssa hang on!" Ashley ran for her pack, grabbing for her blaster along with the others.

" I can't hold her!" Alyssa bellowed, Trini's soaked body slipping from her hands.

"Shot for the tentacles!" Jen ordered, aimming her blaster, before seering the wild, flexable limbs emerged from the pool. The beams of blasters hit their targets turnng the blacken tentacles a burning red, before they imploded into halves and splashes of blood on top of the sand, only to have more sprouting to take their place. "This isn't working."

"Shot at the sand," Kim said, already firing into the body of the sand below. The others followed suit, burning rays hurling through the wet surface to whatever lived below. Bubbles rushed to the surface, coldly boiling and mixing its own blood into its inhabitancy. A shrill gurgled from beneath the pond, rattling the ground beneath their feet as the tentacles limped and loosened around Alyssa and Trini, still dangling over the watery grave. Alyssa clenched Trini within her arms as the weight of the creatures arms fell away and eased the stress on her from the rope cutting into her sides. One by one, the tentacles dropped away, thick cords splashing on top of the sand in untamed waves as the limbs retracted back into the ground.

They watched as the ripples settled in silence, fearful and hopeful at once. Cautiously, Jen crept forward, blaster still lowered at the watery surface as she slipped the tip of her foot inside the liquid. Jen jumped back, startling Ashley and Kendrix in the process. Kim's attention was drawn away as Alyssa desperately clinged on to Trini above the ground. In the tug-of-war acts between themselve and the tentacle creature, the ropes had burned to threads along the bark of the tree. Before Kim could make any movement, the threads snapped dropping the two ranger back into the murky waters.

"No!"

"We have to get them out!"

Kim dived, Jen not too far behind she she dove in with her blaster still within her hand. The sand was nothing more than water as it allowed them to move freely without the creatures tentacles to weight them down. Kim grabbed for Trini as Alyssa kicked her legs tiredly keeping them both afloat, and Jen reached for Alyssa, both rangers pulling the two ashore where Kendrix and Ashley awaited them, pulling them the rest of the way towards safety.

"Trini...Not...Breathing..."Alyssa gaged, hacking up globs of watery sand as Kendrix helped loosen the remainder of the lasso from her torso. Blood teared down her sides, through the t-shirt stuck to her ribbs the rawness tearing down her body.

Kimberly turned Trini flat onto her back, the yellow ranger's body still and not responding to Kim's call as she whipped away her plastered locks from her face. Sand glazed Trini's skin and clothes as her head bobbed to the side, before Kim framed her face within her hands. Kim's heart shivered, blood icying throughout her body as her heart jack hammered in her chest at the sight.

**POW!**

Kim's eyes widen, horror stricken as a pair of tennis shoes stepped into place along side Trini's head. Blood rained down the two legs, on to the white and pink of the shoes, before collecting onto the ground below. The sound of the others muffled against her ears, the world around her hazing into flashs of unfocused images that shifted around the form standing before her.

_"Can you save her... ?"_

_"Kill her..."_

_"Killer..."_

Kim couldn't breathe. The breath of the words cold against her ears as they were spoken in rush of whispers, before they dissolved into a wave of childish laughter.

"No..." Kim's eyes blurred with tears as she was pulled out the way, the world rushing back at her like the pounding of thunder to the face. Kimberly jumped, shrivling out of the way from the touch as Jen frowned at her, and Ashley worked C.P.R. with Trini.

Jen didn't have time to agonize over Kim's mental coma as the pink ranger sat over Trini dazed, before she was pushed away. Trini needed their help. Kendrix pushed air into Trini's mouth, stopping only to push against the fallen rangers stomach, before the achingly long seconds brighten with the relieving sound of the yellow ranger inhaling a breath. Ashley helped Trini turn to her side as her body heaved and jerked to loosen the build up within her lungs and pull in the air.

"Easy, Trini." Ashley cooed softly, brushing her long wet locks away from her face. She patted her back gently as blood wetly printed aganst her hands from Trini's saturated clothing. Trini whimpered, the pain causing her to tremor and draw Kim closer to her side and futher from the voices in her mind.

Trini nearly sobbed as the sunlight broke through the fingers of the trees to hit her face and splash over her, drowning over the blinding darkness she was in. Her insides burned, rotting her mouth with a bitter and sour taste that she smelled strongly through her nostrils. Her hearing was slowly clearing to familiar voices and the shining surroundings dimmed and shaped into the tree tops around her, catching a soft hue of a pink glow beside her. The sensation felt like a brush of feathers through her body that kissed her sides and dissolved the pain as rainbows begun to twirl before her eyes in a walting glory. The sourness sweeten, like fresh strawberries to her tongue and smell. The air cooled and closed her eyes with its delicate breath that tickled her lashes and carried a painless gasp from her lips. Her thoughts formed and melted away in bliss, before she could embrace a single one within her mind, except one sure thing... She was safe.

She was alive.

And that was enough to rock her asleep with the glow pink flaring around her in warmth.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hey, everyone! Please, don't be mad, I've been working and preparing myself for school, so my days have been havac, but here's a new chapter. I've been reading alot of fanfiction and missed the feel of reviews and having people read my writing, so I had to post SOMETHING. It's **2:53am** right now, and I'm dead tired and hungry, so please excuse any misspelling and errors. Also, I added extended summaries to both my stories on my profile page and decided to post little notes of my stories progress there, too. So, check that out. **Please, review!** Show the love people! 

Can't think of anything else to say.

** EclipsingFlames**


	16. The Threads Of Patience

* * *

**The Threads Of Patience **

* * *

**Day Two**

* * *

Dana checked the stitches for the fourth time that hour. The tighten loops of thread nipped the fatten flesh together. The skin, yellow and swollen with suppuration flushing out in endless, viscid waves. By now, the feverish patch of skin around the sewed scars had spread throughout Aisha's body. Dana knew without a doubt that the yellow ranger's temperature was off the charts. 

She had kept an eye on her all night. Aisha's body quaked with a terrible cough, and ever now and then, heave out a breath of vomit. Whatever food and water they feed her never stayed down. Her skin was damped with sweat, wiped every so often with a soaked cloth of cool water. Aisha whimpered and cried as she slipped in and out of her restless dreams. Tears would brim her shut eyes and curve wet trails down the temples of her face to the braids of her hair. Her lips cracked and peeled more and more between each straining breath.

Kat held on tightly to her friend's hand having been by her side throughout the night, while Katie kept constant surveillance of the area. The pink ranger brought a cup to the sickly ranger's lips, gently tilting it forward to part her lips and allowing the water to wet her tongue. Spasms littered Aisha's body as she choked on what was barely a table spoon of water and spat it back up. Dana quickly helped ease Aisha face to the side, so the water wouldn't fall back into her mouth or nose.

Dana dabbed the towel to wipe away the water and silva from her mouth, noticing the specks of red when she pulled the rag away. Kat saw this and met the lightspeed ranger's dour gaze.

" What do we do?" Kat asked, weakly. Her voice was foreboding and at a lost as she tenderly touched her finger tips to Aisha's forehead. The yellow ranger moaned, eyes wondering wildly beneath her shut lids.

Katie kneeled before the entrance of the tent.

"How is she?" The stiff silence met the inquiry as she saw Katherine's eyes tear and Aisha whimper laid out before her.

Dana sighed and looked away, a guster that pained her knowing that the pink rangers eye's were still looking after her in plead. There was nothing she could give her, but her honesty.

"She's coughing up blood, which is never good." She pulled out her med kit and cut up some more fresh bandages. Every five hours or so, the bandages Dana dressed around Aisha's torso were completely bleed through with fluid and needed to be redressed and cleansed. Supplies were running desperately low. " I know a few natural remedies, but I wouldn't know where to begin to detect the roots and herbs in a place like this. Nor if they grew out here at all. I have to keep reminding myself we're not on Earth anymore."

Heedful that she could do more harm than good, she cut the tight bandage loose, the tiny scissors straining every so often to the sticky and soaked wraps. The heat of Aisha's bare back escaped and attacked Dana's hand with its fierce febrile. She checked the stitches again; the sewed flesh had yet to show any signs of mending, the ends of the sliced flesh still raw and juiced throughout the swell.

"I was thinking I should scout ahead on my own," Katie announced, softly. Her eyes avoided eyeing Dana at work, the gruesome wound sickening to see. Kat's eyes stayed averted on Aisha's face till Katie spoke. " I can see if I can locate any of the others and bring them back to camp. With Aisha like this, there is no way we can continue this mission now. She needs better medical attention than what she can get if we stay here." Then after a second, she said, "No offense."

"I understand completely." Dana had been thinking the same herself, but she also knew the risk of going back meant they couldn't return.

The elder had strictly said that all of them had to go to retrieve the sword or no one. Who knew how long it would take Aisha to recover...if she would ever recover. Dana felt a ton of more weight on her shoulders as she thought about the team member ill before her and the teammate she had set out to save. More than a teammate, a friend...maybe more. Right now, she was just purely livid at the world, this world and every other world involved. She knew she couldn't let Aisha die, but she also didn't want break away from the mission this fast. Barely a day into their mission and they had to go back to face Elder Heida with their tails between their legs as failures.

Everything depended on Aisha's health, but whatever the outcome, Dana could never blame Aisha from such an unforeseen development. She was innocent. Dana just hated she couldn't do more and lacked in her abilities as a doctor to help her.

To help everyone.

To save Carter.

" Aisha will pull through." Kat said, her voice thick with faith sweeten in her accent. "She's the strongest person I know. She's fighting; she'll win. Just do the best you can, Dana. That's all any of us can do."

Katie met Kat's piercing blue eyes, tilting her head forward as a gentle, rallying smile warmed her features.

Dana finished wrapping a fresh bandage over Aisha's torso, but before she could announce her completion, Katie stood abruptly. The yellow time force ranger clamped her hands around her blaster, leveling the barrow at some shrubbs only a few feet ahead before the harbor where the tent was pitched. Dana and Kat reached for their own, exiting the tent to stand at the ranger's side.

" There's something out there." Katie whispered in a low voice. Kat and Dana leveled their own blaster preparing for another beast to leap out from the shrubbs with those same long sharp teeth and massive claws.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

* * *

"So are you going to answer the question or just be stubborn about it?" 

"You have got to be kidding me," She stopped on her heels, eyes glaring at the back of her head incredulously. She watched as she turned around, her eyes staring back at her with that annoying amusement she got out of watching her emotions slip into these transitions. "When are you going to get it through your head that I don't want to talk about this?"

"When you admit you've been so crabby lately, because you're afraid for-"

"Stop! Just stop it. Because, I really don't have to answer anything you ask." Taylor crossed her arms over her chest. " I am a grown woman, a lieutenant in the air force. I answer to no one, but myself. I'm just here to do the mission and go back to my normal life. And that would happen a lot easier, if some overwhelmingly, dynamic ranger wasn't chomping it up all the time, trying to catch some daily gossip when we have bigger issues to worry about!"

Kelsey's smile didn't waver the tiniest bit. She more than once ran into people like her in rescue ops., but Kelsey was so carefree of their hard hitting and by the book personals, they never fazed her. Those were the people that took everything too seriously, never allowing themselves to relax. She only hoped that she would rub off on Taylor as she did them.

At least Kelsey believed she did. A lot of the workers still didn't appreciate her rollerblading through the corridors.

She sighed.

Kelsey understood how harsh the times were, but constantly contemplating on it was pushing her deeper into a sour mood as each day passed. She needed some other conversation, she needed to repress the black storm clouds looming within her head, before she shattered apart in fear and panic. Maybe not everyone could understand that, but right now, thats what she needed.

" Does it help?"

Taylor huffed from exhaustion, the heat, and the yellow rangers constant inquisitiveness. But the soft tone of her voice kept her from snapping.

"Does what help?" She sighed, swiping her forehead with the back of her hand.

"Being abrasive; does it help you get through this?" Her tone was serious and quiet as she met Taylor's eyes. "Does it help you not think about..."

Taylor frowned, the tension in her body loosening.

" It used to be just who I was," Taylor carefully chose her words as something tugged at her heart. "It still is; but someone helped me to see more of myself than I knew I could be. All these new things I have to think about with the situation being as it is...I'm not ready to talk about it. I just want to get through this."

Kelsey nodded. Taylor turned away from her, driving back the yellow gold locks of her frizzled hair away from her face, the emotive subject making her a bit fraught and antsy. She was never the one for heart to heart, kodak moments, but they snuck up on her to surprise her.

" We should keep up the trek. We haven't covered much ground from our last rest stop." Taylor said, facing Kelsey again with her hands set on her hips. Anything the wild force ranger had said, Kelsey hadn't heard, as she crept to a thick patch of shrubs signaling for Taylor to follow her.

" What is it?" Taylor inquired in a undertone. Her blaster instantly fixed before her as they inched to the wall of massive blade-like and cloved leaves.

" I think I saw something..." They both reached out their free hands and tugged at the leaves, the foliage bending easily at the stems to reveal the clearing on the other side.

And three identical blasters trained directly at them.

" Dana!" Kelsey was, of course, the first to break the silence.

"Kelsey?" Dana lowered her blaster, her demeanor loosening to let a smile spread across her face. The two friends eloped the other into a hug as the the rest grouped beside them.

"Man, its so good to run into you guys." Kelsey breathed, keeping her friend within arms length.

" We're glad the both of you are okay," Katie agreed, her hand still clenching her weapon at her side.

Taylor exhaled a breath of relief through her chapped lips. The sun, a beacon of fire burning holes through her very skin, still remained woven in curses in her mind as she stood in the lush heart of the rain forest. An aching silence belllowed over the three as they stood in the vision of the two yellow rangers. Dana and Kat's eyes would shift to the pitched tent behind them as Katie avoided eye contact, her eyes preoccupied with sweeping the area around them.

Taylor frowned.

" Well, don't celebrate too much." Taylor puffed, sarcastically. Then seriously inquired, " What's going on?"

" Are you guys, okay?" Kelsey finally questioned, afraid to recieve an answer. Kat flushed as if cold water had been thrown against her face, tears watered her eyes, but she bit them back with all the strength she could muster. The veteran pink ranger took it upon herself to speak, her voice was hauntingly low and breathy. Near the verge of breaking down.

" We have a problem...it's Aisha. She's terribly ill."

* * *

**Elsewhere**

* * *

The heat didn't seem to cool down even a degree over the long night, causing balls of sweat to roll down Tori's face, and dampen her thin shirt already clinging to her body. How any of them were able to function in this extreme climax was a mystery to even her. Her muscles were so exhausted, her limbs numbed and prickled with the bites of heat, and her mind hazed, feeling disconnected from the rest of her. She was simply operating like a machine running low on fuel. With the help of Maya, she managed to cut the legs off her jeans to create shorts and learned how the material of her 'tribal wear' had cooled her in the hot rays. Tori could have killed to have one of those buck skin skirts and mid- tops right then, but retained herself, when she, all but once, considered her odds against the yellow galatic ranger. 

Tori was a rookie amongst them, but she _could _at least take Maya, right? She had a feeling that Maya wouldn't mind wearing a bundle of leaves around her personal areas, so why could she have a turn wearing her heat resistant clothing?

Tori grumbled under her breathe, her thoughts running away with what was left of her sanity. Her eyes fluttered closed as her sweat instantly glued her lids together, like super glue. Her feet felt like they weighted a ton with each step.

"Hey girly," Tanya rattled her arm to jerk her awake, but even then, Tori could only manage to peak through her eye lids between the thin streams of burning and itchy perspiration. " Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good." Tori voice was flat and far from the fake verve she tried to muster. Amongst veterans, Tori knew for sure she didn't want to be the first to admit she needed to rest. " You know, if you like the nature and sunburns kicking your ass; I'm peachy."

Tanya chuckled softly. " Maybe, we should rest, it has been awhile."

Tori shook her head. " No, no. Don't mind me, I get cranky, if I'm not near a beach."

Maya jumped down from the towering tree over them with an apple in hand, Karone and Cassie trailing nearby. " I'd say we should continue heading south of here. We still don't want to risk the chance of heading in circles."

Maya settled herself next to Tori as she took a huge bit from her apple.

" South it is then." Tori swatted a bug away from her. " The sooner we find the others, the sooner we can leave this mutant bug infestation."

* * *

**Elsewhere**

* * *

Trini had been quiet all morning. She was alive and well; her clothing dried and her body well rested, but her thoughts were distant from everything around her. She seemed in affable, yet stoic. Her mind constantly slipping over the fact that only a day before, she felt as if she would die from the intensity of the pain that pushed her to the edge of inert and unconsciousness, only to be miraculously healed. She felt as if she were pulled from hell to a haven of delicate lullabies in an sweet instant of pink and sparkling hues. Her emotions became Kim's, bubbles of all shapes and colors rapidly bursting, inhaling and exhaling in an incoherent way. Yet all the more beautiful. Everything she felt was dim now, and she was herself again, but the surreal phenomenon just wouldn't loosen its seize on her mind. 

Kimberly glanced over her shoulder at Trini. Words welled up in her chest, answers wanted to spill over the rim of her lips, her heart beckoned her to find something comforting to say to ease the thoughts, but again, no words; no answers. Kim didn't need anyone to ask her how she was able to do these things she thought was cursed upon her; she knew it was what they all wanted to know. Kim knew the science behind it. Why her powers stayed along with her long after she supposed to have passed them on. She remembered how this energy scarred her blood and cells, tainted her body and mind. None of which made it easier for her to carry within her and live with for the rest of her life.

The fact that she had revealed, more and more of her powers as the days passed on made her feel ill to the very marrow of her bones. Only now that sickness was heighten due to her capabilities exposer, and she stood nude, before everyones eyes. But Kim knew she couldn't be fully repugnant with herself, it was because of her powers that she was able to save her friends; she was able to heal Trini and Alyssa from the damaged done inside and outside of their bodies. She was starting to understand that if she could do that, then maybe what was in her wasn't all bad either.

Till her demons stepped out from the closet...

Kim's heart shivered. The thought of everyone else knowing...

This time Kim's entire body quivered.

... There was no making amends for what she did.

" Kim?"

The voice caused the original pink ranger to slip out of her thoughts and focus on the ranger, whom was shorter than even herself. For anyone who didnt know her, she would appear defenseless, but her petite body was strong enough to handle an army. Kimberly knew what an advantage it was towards your enemies when considered weak and insubstantial to be a ranger. She suprised her earlier nemesis', Zedd and Rita, a few times for underestimating her. Kim had more pride in her successors that had taken the pedestal as pink ranger after her, than she cared to say, but she was thankful that Alyssa acted as she did to save Trini.

Kimberly turned to the wild force ranger, who walked single filed behind her. Behind her, Jen, Kendrix and Ashely walked with Trini in the rear, still lost in her own world.

Alyssa spoke, raking her short hair behind her ears.

" You think we could take a short break?" Alyssa hopped over a thick root that twisted from the ground and warned the others behind her before she continued. "It's been awhile, since our last one and this heat is just unpardonable."

Kim glanced back at everyone. Sweat rained down over everyones clothing, causing hair to brittle and frize, and their bodies to heave for air incased within the boiling climax that surrounded them. Somehow, in the long hours of the morning, Kim had taken the lead in their venture through the jungle. No one protested, no one had barely said anything at all that day, but Trini hadn't reclaimed her role and everyone just followed Kim without a word.

" I guess we could for about half an hour. Figure out what's next..." She said diffident, as everyone actually looked to her for a decision, again, much to Kim's surprise and unease.

There was a collective sigh of relief.

The thuds of their packs and bodies hit the ground, beneath the shade of trees. There was a silence between them as everyone withdrew their endless, flowing cups of water or an item of food to munch on. Jen took a bite of her own energy bar, glancing over at Kim with an examining eye as the eariler events unfolded in her head. Again, Kim sat away from the rest of them, as she much preferred, chewing soundlessly on a piece of her energy bar as she immersed herself in pensiveness. Jen felt somewhat responsible for the former pink ranger's isolation. Ever since the discovery of Kim's special abilities, Jen wondered if she could trust the pink ranger any longer. Granted, they had never developed any special bond as Kim and Trini may have had, but to Jen, a team meant trust. The team needed to be able to rely on one another and support each other. That was the only thing Jen asked for a team to consist of if she were going to remain apart of it. It was what Jen, herself, had had to learn as a ranger years ago. You didn't have to face challenges alone when your friends were there to support you.

The way Kim kept to herself, she could tell the original ranger was carrying something much bigger on her shoulders that she had, yet to admit she needed help with.

And something told her that Kimberly was struggling within the team.

Ashely on the other hand was more concerned about Trini. Since, the incident she had seemed to go into her own world, not speaking so much as a word to them. Ashley kneeled down to the yellow rangers eye level.

" Are you okay?" Trini looked away from the ground, pulling away from her deep trance to stare at the woman, only a year younger than herself.

Trini smiled softly.

" Yes. I mean, I'm fine." She said as she gratefully accepted the supply of water Ashley handed her. She drunk from it. The coolness of the liquid, refreshed and moistened her dry insides as the haze in her head subsided.

Ashely took a sit on the ground beside her. The awe she had bore, each time she was reminded that she was actually working along side the first yellow ranger, increased everyday. Like all the other yellow rangers, she felt an instant connection with her, though to be truthful, she didn't know Trini as well as she wanted to. Trini handed her back her cup with a small smile on her lips.

" Are you really okay?" Ashley inquired again. " You haven't said... anything, since...after what happened."

"Yeah," Trini seemed almost surprised by the question, but chuckled nonchalantly. " I promise you, I'm okay. Its just been a crazy few days, you know?"

" Yeah, pretty crazy, indeed." She chuckled along, softly. Gazing across the way, Kimberly sat against a tree, more distant from everyone in her mind, than she was physically. Every rest stop, she sat to herself, and slept as far away from them as possible...if she even slept at all. Last night, Kim was the first to volunteer to stand watch for a few hours while everyone else slept. A couple of hours later, Kim was supposed to revive the next person to take watch. They were all surprised to find that she had stayed watch the entire night. When they inquired her about it, and asked her to catch up on rest, Kim paid them no mind. She merely grabbed her stuff, and sat away from them with her eyes glazed, and her mind drowning in whatever reverie that intoxicated her from the world.

" You guys were friends for a really long time, huh?" Ashley inquired gently, her eyes still drawn to the pink ranger. Trini looked at Ashley, then followed her gaze to Kim, before her eyes slipped shut.

"Yeah, since grade school. Practically, inseperable." She opened her eyes again with a small smile painting on her face as she recalled all the years they had been through.

" You know, Zhane, Karone, and Andros has special abilities, too." Started Ashley, gathering Trini's attention once more. " It kinda freaked me out at first, when I first saw Andros levitate tobasco sause over a guy's plate. I have, yet to see Zhane and Karone do anything, but everyone on their world can do it." She cracked a smile, exposing the pearl and shine of her white teeth. "Of course, they have nothing on what Kimberly can do."

" Yeah..." Trini trailed off, remembering Kimberly's power that healed her. Her skin beaming with various pink glows and her eyes burning with dancing flames. The images of Alpha and Kim resurfaced in her mind, the unclear picture of the two in some foreign environment that flickered in her mind, as rapid as the beating of a humming birds wings.

" Andros used to be just as distant as Kim. Always pulling away when he really needed someone the most, like some kind of defense mechanism.Then, when he finally opened up, we found out about Karone; how he dedicated his entire life to find the sister that was taken away from him. How he spent his entire life needing help he was too stubborn to admit he needed." Ashley met Trini's eyes, a connection formed between the two. " The rest of us may not know whats going on with her, nor do we know what happened in the past, but we all know we need her with us. I think Kim can't see just yet, how much she needs us, too. How much she needs you. People can be stubborn, they can pull away, but the pain... they can never face alone. No matter what they say."

There was a silence between them as her words spread over Trini's heart. " Tanya could not have chosen better."

Ashley was honored by Trini's kind words. Speechless, she could only nodded and blush at the comment. She nodded toward Kim's way.

" I think she may need a friend."

* * *

_The darkness inhaled her, clenched around her flesh, and seeped through her skin to invade the very current of her blood, till she shivered from the coldness. She couldn't see, everything was pitch black, yet crawled with a life of its own. Breathing was an obstacle, she would take in the air into her lungs and each time, a pressure against her chest held it in, till she broke into a sweat, and her heart quicken with urgency. She exhaled, a ripple of fire irritating her insides, till she thought blood was actually misting her lips from the breath. All around her everything sung; tapping, rattling, scratching, wailing, breathing, screaming, crying, laugher, singing, chanting, and then... **POW**!_

_Kimberly braced her head between her hands, the sound causing her entire soul to quake._

_"I'm ready to wake up now," Kim repeated it over and over, knowing there was no escape for her. Living was her prison. Death was inevitable._

_The little girl dragged her feet across the floor with each step she took, blood coursing around the crown her head to the sole of her shoes, slicking the floor with the red substance. Then the long curl of puerile and manic laughter echoed, tightening around Kim in a fist of torment. Kimberly felt tears burn her eyes red. Her throat clenched so tight she felt that the veins in her neck might pop._

_Suddenly, the blackness flickered into a wide alley, then fell pitch black, once again. A ball thumped the ground, the walls- wherever they may be- shattered and fell in shreds along every distance away from her, yet the walls themselves weren't revealed. Kim felt the ball bump the toe of her shoe, causing her to stumble onto the floor. Footprints appeared trailing after the ball, each imprint on the ground kindling with hot pink flames. The walls and lights rapidly flickered, in and out, between darkness and light, the alley and the screaming throat of darkness and flames. The pounding of the ball, unceasingly beating against the ground, while remaining stationary before Kimberly's eyes. The shrill of childish laughter fused into a screaming whistle within Kim's head, causing her eyes to pinch shut._

_Then stillness._

_Complete silence._

_Kim peaked through her lashes...The girl launched forward out of nowhere, both their wails welding into a soul of various fury and terror. Kim's back slammed back onto the ground, the girl straddling her, weighing her down as if she weighed tons. The little girl's face hovered over Kim's, her breath smelt of sulfur from the blood flooding over her eyelids and tongue, her ears and nose, and onto her shirt._

_"Die...!" _

_**POW!**_

Kimberly's eye's snapped open.

Cold sweat coursed down her body, her breath quicken and her chest heaving as her eyes flung wild at her surroundings. Trees. Miles of miles of trees and wilderness embraced her, easing her some from the thought that hell had finally pulled her under.

_Just a dream,_ She thought in relief, shivering. _Only a dream._

Her throat felt raw and burned with dryness, as she sat up on her heels to a crouch, cradling her head in her heads. Kim tried to calm herself, recalling her meditations and teachings...

Snap!

Kim was instantly on her feet as the small sound amplified in her ears and shocked her heart, igniting her defenses.

" Easy. Its just me, Kim." Trini took a step back under Kim's wild gaze. Her arms raised and brows turning into one another in disquiet. " I didn't mean to frighten you."

Kim froze, seeing the others out of the corner of her eye, standing out of inquiry and concern from her quicken rise.

"Is everything okay?" Jen inquired, taking a step closer to the two with a hard and studying gaze.

" Everything is fine." Kim tried to relax her the tension in her shoulders, only managing to keep them, and every other muscle in her body, taut. She tilted her face away from them as she lowered herself back to the ground.

Jen looked to Trini, unsure and inquisitive.

"We're fine." Trini confirmed, but softly. She tilted her head to the opposite direction, asking Jen for alone time with Kim. Jen nodded, singling the others that everything was okay.

Trini sat across from Kim, the pink ranger lazily bending her knees in front of her, while her hands whipped the sweat off her face. Kim sniffled, and Trini wondered, if she may have been hiding tears. Kim's body trembled as she tried to hide her face away.

" Are you really okay?" Trini inquired, looking at the figgeting woman in pure concern. " You could tell me."

"I'm good. I'm just a little tired. That's all." Kim murmured, her back laid back against the side of the wide tree. Her gaze transfixed to the side, dazed. "Must be the heat starting to get to me."

Trini looked at Kim with a quizical eye, which suggested that she didn't believe the pink ranger. Kim wasn't surprised her answer didn't render plausible, if anyone could decode the truth from a lie, it was Trini. Almost nothing got pass her.

" It looked, like a little more than sleep deprivation that made you jump into defensive mode, a second ago."

Kim immediately changed the subject.

" How are you feeling? You look much better." And she did. The color had returned to her cheeks; her eyes were no longer glassy. Even more importantly, she was alive, breathing and not drowning in that sandy swap.

" Thanks to you," Trini said, a soft smile forming at her lips. " You saved my life."

" Alyssa saved your life." Kimberly reminded her. " If she hadn't dove in to save you, you would have died. And Jen and the others did their share, too. Everyone did more than their share; they did what they all do best."

Trini nodded. A long strand of her ebony hair slipped from its spot along the slope of her shoulder to kiss her cheek. Trini raised her slender fingers and brushed the piece of hair back behind her ear.

" I know, I thanked them. None of them didn't have to do what they did." She said, glancing at the petite wild force ranger sitting beside Kendrix, Jen, and Ashely, all talking quietly amounst themselves.

" Its great to know that Zordon's legecy is alive through each of us." Kim stated honestly. "Zordon would be proud of them all."

A moment of silence drifted over the two.

"What I said... back on the ship..." Trini's words drifted as Kim met her eyes in look that appeared, almost startled, by the remembrance of it. Trini paused, collecting some definition to what she wanted to say.

"I should be the one to apologize." Kim admitted, softly. Not an ounce of discomfort could be seen in her body language. It was just complete candor. "You were right. You deserve to know what happened to me these pass seven years-"

"But you're not ready." Trini stated, equally stunning her former teammate. Trini smiled softly at her and offered her an explaination. " Billy told us that you weren't the same person from the beginning. He said that you've been through so much thats changed you. And now, I understand it wasn't just physically, but emotionally."

Kim lowered her chin to her chest, her eyes shutting in an ashamed gesture.

" He also told us that you would tell us the truth when you were ready." Kimberly slowly met her eyes, and for a split second, Trini saw the Kimberly she remember, and more. There was only vulnerability and forlornness. Then just like that, Kimberly buried it deep within herself, looking away without a word. Trini swallowed, feeling rejection within the taste of that small glimmer of hope. " And I can tell now isn't that time."

Kimberly shut her eyes at those words, feeling the raw wounds cut open, again. She knew if she looked at Trini now, the tears and truth would drain from her till nothing was left. She knew if the truth left, the past would invade the present and hurt her more than she was now.

Trini stood, trying her best to keep her head high and heart intact. She took a step...

"Trini..." The former yellow ranger stopped and turned at the pink rangers soft call. Kim kept her gaze turned away. " You're my best friend. You have been, since... I would never let anything happen to you. You still know that, right?"

Trini frowned. Her words sounded small, but full of desperation...plea...something that grasped onto her heart and stirred the memories they shared, since childhood.

" I haven't forgotten, Kim." Trini replied, just as gently. Kim nodded saying nothing further as Trini turned away. Then over her shoulder, she said, " But I think you've forgotten it goes both ways. When you're ready I'll be here."

Trini went to rejoin the others, leaving Kim to herself, once again.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

* * *

" Hey, you guys, take a look over there!" 

" What is that?"

Tanya pinched her nose as they broke through the trees to the small clearing. A massive carcass with translucent skin of slick slime laid out on its belly before them. The dirt beneath it mixed into an ugly gel of mud. The odor alone was enough to kill them, if it had not been so strong to haunt them in their subconsciousness.

" I think, I'm gonna loose my lunch from yesterday." Cassie gagged, the odor attacking her senses with more fury than even the heat.

Maya- clearly the bravest of the five women, if not the most mentally disordered- took a step closer to the fallen beast before them. " There's blood here, and the body has bearly started to decompose. This must have happened maybe, a day or two ago."

"All I care about right now is getting as far away from that thing as possible, not what's written on its toe tag." Tori choked out, not daring to take a step closer, but two steps back from the beast.

"I'm with her." Karone seconded, feeling her eyes tear from the stench. "Let's go. As far as humanly possible."

Tanya stood mounted where she was noticing something shifting along the underbelly of the carcass.

"Its moving. I think, its still breathing." Maya instantly jumped back to Tanya's side with widen eyes.

Maya shook her head.

" Its not moving, Tanya." She said, meeting the veteran rangers eyes. " There's something on it thats moving."

Tanya leaned closer to get a better look, having to once exam deceased wild animals, like lions, in order to disclose the disease that plagued them. It was clear that the creature wasn't breathing, but the skin crawled wildly over globs of blood and muck, sinking right into the body itself in endless masses of living currents.

Tanya rounded the carcass to the opposite side; clumps of mired flesh crawled away from the body into nearby shrubs.

"Bugs." She called out the others. " There's bugs on this thing eating the remains."

" Now, I think I'm going to be sick." Karone mumbled under her breath, feeling queasy. " Sicker."

"There's bugs out here that can kill something this huge?" Tori exclaimed.

"Aww, man." Cassie all but danced on her toes as she kept her nose snug within the tight hold of her fingers.

Tanya shrugged, glancing around the clearing. A few trees were torn down to the ground making way for massive foot prints planted on the path. No blood dried on the fallen bark.

" This kill was too sudden."

" It could have collasped," Tori suggested. " Or maybe got attacked by a larger animal?"

Cassie shook her head. " And leave it's prey to a bunch of insects? If there is a predator out there bigger than this thing, I would think it would want to finish the rest of its meal."

" There's something near its claws." Maya quickly snatched the item and shook it out in case there were any bugs on it. She held out what she found for the others to see. Three five inch strips of yellow material spected with blood hung on the yellow galaxy rangers fingers.

" It must be one of the others." Maya gasped, drawing everyone closer.

Tanya snatched the strips of clothing with trembling fingers.

" It belongs to Aisha...I let her borrow my yellow tank to wear." Tanya closed her eyes feeling tears begin to form, but she shook them away, taking a deep breath for control. " I don't think she's dead. One of the others must have found her and killed that thing with their blasters."

Karone nodded, slowly. She placed a hand on top the former zeo and turbo rangers shoulder.

"They can't be too far ahead."

Silently, and even more determined, they continued their quest to find their friends.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

* * *

Waves of scarlet waltzed around the room reaching for the indistinguishable enclosures of the pitch black shadows the glimmers of light produced. Thin mist crept the floor, plowing down the surface of the glass capsule with webs of energy spurting and flickering in scalding whips. With each step, the whips crackled within the imprints of her shoes as the scarlet washed over her and contoured her, simultaneously. Jaze stood off to the side, watching half her smile of satisfaction and covetousness disappear beneath the swimming shadows. 

His eyes coursed with the blood of his powers as he observed, and patiently, awaited.

" I think my father would be proud." She began, in a voice that was not her own. " His little girl is about to get everything he tasted, so briefly, and more."

She trailed her nails on top the surface, blazing energy trailing after her finger tips.

" And why shouldn't I have more, if I have to chase after my father's shadow and aims? Why should I be limited, when I can ascend the limitations of even him?" Her battered skin, smoothen and healed beneath the flicker of lights, and a dark following dress drifted to her ankles as her height rose in her sandaled heels and long, curvy legs. The rings replaced themselves on her slender, manicured fingers. Her hair lengthen and lighten as it fell straight along her back. " For centuries, I've waited, watched, and hungered. Now, its time to feed, time to evolve, and spin around in the consecrated glory my father begun, so long ago."

Her eye color dissolve from a rich hazel back its haunting red.

" They're shattered within my hands, their pride... in shreds, and the rest of their pathetic willpower is dangling on the last thread of sanity. In due time, our patience will be awarded. Through them the crystal will throb within my hands and increase my powers boundlessly. I can feel it in my blood already, taste it."

Her voice became her own as every ounce of her Kimberly shroud peeled away in completion of her transformation.

She was Queen Diamond once again.

" The scales has tipped well over into our favor, Jaze." She smiled widely as the lights flickered over her face. " Yes, father would be would, without a doubt, be proud."

* * *

**Author's Note: **(Dodges weapons and glares) I know, I know, where the hell have I been, right? So, so, so sorry everyone. I've been working and my mom had surgery, then I had a very long period of loss inspiration, because the reviews stopped. Yeah, I'll just blame you guys. You stop reviewing (this story and my other ones) and then, my muse gets upset and leaves me. See how important reviews are? Do you see?! Anyway, I've spent two weeks rewriting this sucker and I have no clue how many pages it is, but its long. Long! I hope. I plan to finish up chapter 2 of my third story soon, then continue the next chapter of my second, before I return here to do chapter 17. Hopefully, everyone has been checking up on the author notes in my profile to see whats been going on. Sooner or later, I want to start working on my forth story, Broken Wine Glasses. 

Um, not sure what else to say, but review, and please, view and comment my other stories as well. It means so much to me that you all do. Remember you can also IM me and send emails, I reply to everything if there is a way for me, too.

**EclipsingFlames**


	17. Faded: Part 1

* * *

**Faded part 1 **

* * *

**Day Four**

* * *

" We've been walking for days, now." Jen said in drained tone. "I'm starting to wonder, if we're going in circles."

" I'm more worried about the others and how they're cooping." Ashley cleared her throat as a sharp burn knotted from dehydration. Water only provided them so much against the tempestuous heat swallowing them without mercy.

" Better than us, I hope." Kendrix spoke, frazzled as she adjusted the wire frames up the bridge of her nose. She grimced at the speckles of dust that had collected on her lens. She withdrew some balled material out her pocket; the soft clothe she used to clean her glasses collected far more than its share of dirt and sweat already. Kendrix signed; she hated being blind, but more than that, she hated that she dismissed the opportunity to grab her contacts, before jumping to do this mission.

In silence, they marched on, each pulled away into their own smothered thoughts of exhaustion and warpage the heat caused along with their emotions.The crunching of pine and discarded tree branches alarmed the wilderness around them as they drifted forward; each following the path Kimberly led without protest.

Alyssa sliced through the silence with her gentle voice.

" You know, despite everything, this place is pretty peaceful." She raised her face to the stray beams of sun that reached through branches of trees. " It reminds me of the animarium."

"Well, if one of us can enjoy the fact that you and Trini were almost dragged under quick sand to your deaths by some gaint loch ness monster who was in for a game of tug-of-war," Jen began in retort as she raised her brow and face produced a faint grin." Be my guest."

"Oh yeah, can't forget that." Alyssa chuckled brushing back her short hair as a gentle blush washed along her cheeks. " So much for peaceful."

" It doesn't seem like we've been gone for four days on this trek; it feels like weeks." Kendrix said, brushing back a strain of her frizzy blond locks. The heat was so intense over her, her glasses seemed to cloud with steam and stick hotly to her face. " I really wish I had brung my contacts."

Trini chuckled at the pink rangers fustration as she took her glasses from her and cleaned them on the soft fabric of her t-shirt. Kendrix murmured her thanks, placing the frames back onto her face, and flashing Trini a sheepish smile in her discomfort.

Trini's lips pressed thinly together, struggling to stay in the current moment rather than to slip away in her thought and give Kendrix the wrong idea that she was bothersome. Trini inhaled; the heat smothered her brain in exhaustion that made her want to fall to the nearest shade and sleep, but there was so much to think about. Too much to question. Neither, Trini nor Kim said much of their confrontation- Kim chose not to say much at all- but Trini injected into their conversations every now and then, in a seemly lighten mood.

"I'm surprised you didn't trade in your frames along time ago." Trini murmured with a slight curve upward on her lips. Her raven hair was tied into a neat bun on top of her head, with each step the sun light made her hair look like black waves of liquid down to the dribbles of sweat running from her hairline down her face.

"Once Billy ran out of excuses to why he always came home with broken or misplaced glasses, he switched to contacts right away. Billy really dated around after that." She said, then frowned eyes freezing in front of her as a thought came across her mind. "I wonder what happened to all those girls."

Ashley dismissively shrugged her shoulders, her thoughts owned to the well being of Andros, before she found herself coming to an abrupt halt. Jen, hadn't been walking fast ahead of her, but like the others, her gaze was more lured to their surroundings and toxic thoughts rather than the path ahead of them. One by one, they fell in place behind the other - Alyssa, Jen, Kendrix, Ashley; Trini- waiting for Kim to explain why she had come to a sudden standstill.

" I thought we had another three miles, before our next break?" Ashley inquired, hiking up the straps to her bag.

" Shhh!" Kim hushed them more harsely than she intended to but she needed to be able to hear what they couldn't. The trees around them bended closely in a soundless dance, the brances laced one another in webs of green lush; estranged calls of exotic birds called out from distances, yet none from which she could tell seemed to be on their spoor, no blood thristy animals hunting for prey. Everything was untouched and inorder as it should be. Still, the others watched as Kim closed her eyes and stood still within the quietude of their hushed breathing.

" I don't hear anything," Alyssa spoke hushly, not wanting to interrupt the silence Kim demanded. She looked to Ashley and Kendrix, who shrugged their shoulders hearing nothing as well. Jen looked to Trini for answers; the yellow ranger silently observing.

More than once, Trini noticed the tension in Kim's posture, the apathetic torpor to her surroundings other than the wrap her mind showered her with. Kimberly had hardly turned to face them through the entire trek, but her emotions and body language washed through Trini's mind, since their few words with one another. Even at a glance, she could see what was in front of her; she wasn't naive, despite how nescient she felt not knowing whom Kimberly had become. She just knew Kim was still in there somewhere, struggling with something Trini couldn't begin to comprehend without Kimberly pulling away even further beneath her guise of barriers that kept her taciturn and reticent.

There was a pause, before Kimberly finally opened her eyes, they were pooled in riddle and power; mixed within the gold and pink flakes of her hazel eye color.

" I think, the others aren't too much further ahead." That caught everyone attention, each perking with the news.

" What?"

"Where?"

" How can you tell?"

"How much further?"

The questions kept coming, but Kim's attention averted elsewhere; something in her stomach turned, a hot quiver rippled beneath her skin and caused her nerves to hum. She turned around to face the team, completing the circle they now formed. Kim rubbed her eyes, and blinked away the tight irritation building behind them, every color and shade of light lashing out and shivering like flames. When it dulled, the lush seemed to darken altogether and bury itself in thick shadows that ate all shapes and details of everything around her. A low rumbling noise swarmed her from all sides, making her flinch and cover her ears; the sound had no source, it came from inside and out of everything, making her sick to the stomach.

Kimberly closed her eyes as she spoke, exhaustion stinging her redding eyes. Her equilibrium was off, there was something... something not right, but what? What was happening? A sour taste watered her tongue as a sharpness spread from her head to the rest of her body till she slowly came down to her knees.

"Kimberly?" In an instant, Trini came to her knees at her side, quickly rising her hands to support her, before she noted the wary gaze of Kim's unsteady eyes halt her in her action. Trini nodded as if understanding her silent demand, and clenched her hands over her bent knees in restraint. The others hovered in close, apprehensive that something might be wrong.

"What is it?" Trini continued softly. Kim flinched at the sound of voice, it pounded through her skull like a jackhammer. Beside her, Jen's shoes mashed a dry bunch of leaves flat on the ground; the innocent motion exploded like thunder in her brain. Infectious, it rode down the marrow of her bones and rolled in her stomach in a way that resembled acid. Kimberly shook, clenching her torso, trembling.

" S-somethings...wrong, argh!" She clenched her head, the rumbling sounding attacking her from inside out and reverse. Her eyes bulged and caught tightly within her lids. " Somethings...inside! Screaming! Don't you hear it?"

" Hear what? We can't hear anything?" Kendrix kneeled, growing fearful by the second. Everyone hung close, afraid to touch her, yet compellingly torn to aid her as she withered within the circle.

"What do we do?" Ashley hopped on one bended knee to the next, frantically glancing from one distraught ranger to the other for direction. "What do we do?"

" Kim-" The original pink rangers posture suddenly bent erect, her back stretching backwards like a taunt bow; her mouth opened in a silent cry as tears cut through the fastened folds of her eyelids. Her hands curled into fists, scratching the soil with the nails of her fingers. Around her, the trees, the rangers, everything coruscated like out of her dream, in and out of darkness; in and out of mute and blistering wails, growls of agony. There was so much pain, something dragging her to-

-Then in an instant, time stopped. The pain retracted and an unexplainable thing happened, an entire new rush of understanding wrapped her in it grasp and just exploded. She opened her eyes and blazes of pink and crimson flames flowed from her pupils. Fire seeped out of her skin, became her hair in whipping, nipping embers onto the rich soil below, and radiating off her in nimbus clouds and glows. Around her the others could only gasp in speechlessness and amazement at the gorgeous, magnificence in front of them. The layers of flames pooled cooly around their ankles as the heat cooled around them and the jungle hushed to their ears. The rangers stood as Kim became serene and inhaled easily through her nose and looked before her, pass Trini and Kendrix gazing down at her in awe.

The little girl stood glaring back at her with eye sockets oozing clumps of blood on to her clothing and out to the very edge of the misty pool of energy that cascaded out of her.

The girl's mouth open.

Another voice bellowed louder than her words, and Kimberly felt as if she fell through the Earth. The energy surrounded her swallowed her whole, pulling the others along with her.

The little girl followed.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

* * *

They sat around as an helpless audience, transfixed by the sharp breaths and wondering eyes, enclosed behind folds of ill pressed skin. No one said what they knew, no one wanted the truth to be, but it was there and getting no better. Aisha's skin was turning a pasty yellow, slick with huge tears of sweat that stuck against her hot tempered flesh. The scars along her back were an odd greenish gray now, still leaking yellow green puss with tinges of blood. 

For the pass three days, Dana tended to Aisha the best she possibly could, away from the proper environment and instruments to aid her more properly. With the few tools the first aid kits provided there was little she could do and her supplies were quickly running short to nothing. Each hour, she made sure to check Aisha's stitches, nicely fastened threads that wove the swollen flesh together, while hot fluid pushed through the long scars.

" I have to change her bandages, again." She spoke hushly as if her voice alone could break the ill yellow ranger.

Kat sat on her knees beside her former team mate, brushing back the braided locks of her hair from her face, and whipped the clobs of sweat that surfaced on her brow. Aisha responded only with a catch a breath that stayed within her far too long, before she exhalded, so soft and weak, it scarcely registered to Katherine if she were breathing at all.

" Is there anything we can do to help her breathe better?" Kat shivered softly as she spoke. The delayed breathing causing the rise and fall of Aisha's chest to stale in each position. " Its been worsening by the hour."

" I know, I know." Dana huffed softly, trying to bite back the irritation in her voice. Her adeptness at medicine was seriously being tested these last few days; when she wanted to break down in frustration and sympathy, she had to drive herself forward into several dead ends, because there was little she could do. Katherine pleading with her for answers and direction just made the weight over her heart and shoulders more difficult to bear.

" Dana?" Kelsey softly voiced her presence, peaking into the open tent. " How is she?"

The same question kept coming without ease.

" The antibiotics isn't strong enough to rid the poison on its own, and even if we had something to enforce the medication," Dana paused to rush back the wild loose strays of hair from her sweaty face as Katie and Taylor came to Kelsey's side; she avoided meeting their attentive gazes. " Her body is rejecting the treatment."

" Well, we can't just let her die." Tayler's voice fell. " There has to be something you're missing; something you're not doing right."

" Dana is doing the best she can; she never said she was giving up on her." Kelsey said coming to the pink ranger's defense, though Dana wasn't so sure herself if she deserved it. As a doctor and a ranger, it was crippling being helpless to save a life.

" We have to find Trini, get that crystal, and get back home, now." Katie's muscle tighten around her neck as she swallowed a chunk of air and clenched her jaw. She hated being immobile and useless; she needed to take action and do something of use.

" And how do you expect us to do that?" Tayler chewed on. " We move her she could die-"

" She's dying just staying here!" Katie bit back, the two yellow rangers vexation reflecting back at one another. Dana huffed, watching as Katherine heedfully tended to Aisha; the wet cloth in her hands dribbled water through the spaces between her fingers as she pressed it gently against Aisha's hot skin. Not once did the Australian's eyes raise, the rising fumes of the others trying to come to a resolution swarmed outside her range of focus.

"What if we follow Katie's original plan? We split up and cover the ground in a five mile radius-"

" Oh, right, lets split up and get picked off one by one by those same creatures that got Aisha!"

" Stop it, stop it!" Katherine abruptly screamed. Dana's eyes widen; the others froze, Kat quivered as the bottle of her welled up emotion split and detonated in a flash. Her eyes still hovered over Aisha's still form as she spoke. " Do you have to discuss this in front of her? Do you have to mention...death beside her? Aisha is not going to die!"

The pink ranger's breathing soundly shook with her exasperation and dread as she sat back on her heels with her hands on top her knees. All around her was still, Aisha shivered in her coma, while the others sat ruminative on her words and out of respect. Slowly, Dana reached over Aisha and placed her hand on top of Kat's; their blue eyes met and Dana offered her a small smile.

" We won't let her die," She said, softly and sincerely.

" I know," Kat wiped the tears from her cheeks. " Because I'm not going to stand for it, nor will I allow this adolescent debate to continue. Tayler; start a fire and make sure there's tons of smoke in the air. Even with all these trees surrounding us the smell should catch in the winds, maybe lure the others to our campsite. Katie; you keep surveillance over the site; we'll all take shifts through the day." Her tone of voice was a low and stern as she gave each ranger a direct no-talk- back command. " Kelsey; prepare a supper, we have to keep our strengths up and energies high. Be sure to make some broth, so I can try to feed some to Aisha; she needs something in her stomach. And Dana; you finish the bandages, then I want you to get some sleep, you've been pushing yourself day and night, and I won't allow you to collapse from lack of intervals between your labor. I'll take over where you left off with Aisha. I've watched you closely enough to look after her for a couple of hours, while you take a break."

Dana's mouth gapped open at her order.

" Kat-"

" Dana," Kat met her eyes, voice low and carefully laced with prudence. " You need sleep just as much as I do; we're both just to stubborn to admit it. Aisha needs you to be fresh and alert." Dana swallowed, but ambivalently nodded in response. She hated the thought of getting any rest, knowing Aisha was under going so much pain in her own, but Kat was right, she was no good to anyone without rest.

" Well," The corner of Tayler lips tugged slightly upward in vague traces of emotion. " You all heard the woman; let's get to work."

" Right,-" Katie was cut off by a straggled groan of agony.

Dana and Kat immediately shot forward as Aisha's body quaked, violently tossing her head from side to side, and exposing the whites of her eyes through the wild flutters of her eyelids. Her mouth gapped open as she tried to collect a breath and something leaked down the corners of her mouth in small rivers.

Dana looked closer...

...it was blood.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

* * *

No one spoke, the air itself seemed too fragile to even disturb with a soft breath; any movement at all seemed to painful to even think of doing. Everyone was still trying to come to grasps on their own, trying to deal with the aftermath of what each had witnessed. 

Cruelty wasn't even the approate definition, it was pure sadism, a sickly display of brutal murder that couldn't be stopped. Never had any enemies endeavors been accomplished to this extent; they were power rangers, they fought to prevent the acts and succeeded- until now. They were defenseless, truly powerless, and knew more than ever that anything they did would only be futile.

The sight of Tommy and Kimberly's bodies had gutted them all of stability, the vision of their murders cutting them hollow and drowning them into intolerable distress. They all stretched taunt and confined in their biting cuffs along the walls, each stoic and overwhelmed in the tears of their friend as Jason screamed on.

Jason roared till his throat flexed tightly around his vocal cords; he cried till he dry heaved on his sobs and sides strained painfully to his breathing. His eyes were inflamed and stinging with dried tears that pasted to his cheeks in long dry streaks. He was breathing, but air alone wasn't enough to relieve how dead he felt inside. Jason slumped against his restraints, a sensation stiring deep within him.

He now understood why Diamond had slethered her fingers into Tommy's mind. Why she took great lust in reading his thoughts. She destroyed Tommy's heart, before ending his misery. What did Diamond want from them? They had nothing to offer, no protection to defend themselves! How many more of my friends would die? And if she ever got her hands on Trini...The mere thought caused Jason to seethe in fury, his body quivering in response to the rage of the new level of his emotion.

He had never wanted vengeance more than he did right now.

He didn't need to look to his fellow rangers, they all knew Tommy, all once working side by side with him, and looked to him as the key figure of a rangers. They knew of Kimberly by reputation, being that she was the original pink ranger. Still, that did not change the fact that they were powerless and still in captivity, partically left for dead, if not waiting for their executions. If those were Jason's options, then so be it, but he wasn't going to go down without a fight. With or without his powers, he would die trying to avenge his friends, to protect the others remaining on Earth, and Trini, the love of his life, who would never truly know.

"Jason..." A quiet, hesitant voice called out hitting the walls like crashing cymbols in their grieving solitude. Jason's eyes met the voice's source, ablaze in liquid ice that caused him to catch his breath in his lungs. Jason came to an abrupt calm- The tranquil before an eruption of a storm.

" It stops with us. " Jason said in an truculent tone of voice. He collected his fingers into his palms, flexing his knockles in a burst of white that already paled from the cut off of his blood at his wrist. The other red rangers, understood his words, each of their facets pulling into acknowledgement as a silent covenant was formed. No one needed any further discussion. They all had someone they loved that they feared to lose, a home populated by many they could ever hope to know with loved ones of their own.

They all had a duty to protect these people- despite their losses and disadvantages.

Shane tighten his eyes closed, spending so many hours, days... just remembering his last day on earth in normalcy, before his abduction. Everything had happened so fast. He didn't know for sure how long he had been withheld, but each waking moment, he remembered all he was ripped away from, and knew, he would never see, again. His own fist clenched, his wrist naked of his morpher and replaced by the rough and jagged metal of cuffs, that razored through his skin.

Now, he carried a new respect for being a ranger, a new respect for the men whom carried the red ranger title before him. Without them, he might not have had a childhood at all as well as billions of other citizens. He now understood, why the power ranger legacy was so prominent and honored. They never gave up, even in a powerless fight up against the most potent enemy.

Even if it they knew it meant their own termination, they fought for a peace that even they may never see; it was his turn to fall in line and fight beside them.

And soon, die beside them.

* * *

Darkness... 

It was all around her in a second of coldness that itched her skin with stabbing grazes. She couldn't see, the abyss that frooze her swam through her veins in currents of needles and pins. She couldn't stand, gravity seemed to press her to whatever it was that took form of the ground beneath her, sticking to her, melting into her skin and towing her through. She inhalded, her ribs screamed in protest with a furious jab to her insides, shooting a sharp burning through her nerves. The air was intoxicating, heavy and thick in her lungs with each swallow of air, but she wasn't sure if she was breathing at all.

Somehow, the answer just seemed to exist; it was an unconquerable battle looming around her and holding her down in this...place, where ever it may be- She was fading.

And soon, she would cease to exist.

* * *

**Outside Angel Grove**

* * *

"Billy, do you read?" 

The genius grabbed at his retained communicator from his own ranger days. The silver and blue stripped band molded around his wrist and clamped together.

" I read you, Adam." He released the communication button to allow Adam's transmission to come through.

" The guys and I were wondering how things were coming along; any further contact with the girls?" His voice projected through the small speakers.

" Not since I communicated with Zhane last." Billy sighed, his own thoughts with the female rangers as well. Like all the male rangers, he had a strong urge to be there and protect them, though knew, each and everyone of them could very much handle their own in danger. " I'm assuming they're still on their quest to retrieve the Sword of Athos."

" I was hoping for a different answer." Adam admitted, clamping his jaw tight as he resisted the idea of gloom over _her_ well being. Tanya was a strong fighter, intelligent, and outstanding ranger, who didn't need him to protect her 24 hours a day. She knew how to take care of herself and had a team of other remarkable rangers to watch her back. All of this was of course, her end of the argument, before she left for the meeting. Adam knew better than to believe she was anything but incapable of handling her own, but Tanya was his wife, he'd fall to the ground dead, if anything ever happened to her. But instead of saying those words, an 'I love you' or 'be careful', their odds erupted into a quarrel, and ended with a slam of the front door; a helpless Adam at lost on what to do.

Tanya wasn't someone to stand down on command, there was no dragging her out by the wrist, and absolutely, no man having the right to dominancy, just because they thought they were right about something. Tanya and Aisha were cousins, after all.

_" Tanya, if you even think of walking out that door, this marriage is over!" _

The hurt in her eyes was uncanny. For a long moment, the silence stretched, and as much as Adam had wanted her to take his words seriously, to understand his urgency of keeping her on Earth with him, he wanted her to notice how much his voice strained to utter those words. How much each syllable stumbled over his tongue and fell uneven out his lips with vulnerable emotion.

She just turned around and left with the door slamming upon her exit; Adam just stood there, stoic.

" I'm sure they're perfectly fine," Billy's voice shook him out of the intoxication of the past, like a cold breeze. " We have to trust in all of their abilities."

Adam only nodded on the other end, his lips too heavy to part. He looked over at his fellow comrades at his side and past them to scan over their surroundings.

" We made it to the distination. You were right; the military completely cleared the grounds of any signs of what used to stand here. " He finally spoke, wiping his brow from sweat.

"As I suspected," Billy said with a soft sigh, he glanced over a copy of the blue prints on top his desk. " But it still there and secure, I have no doubt about that. The command center may had been destroyed, but the base was constructed with deeper chambers and tunnels with the auxiliary we need, incase of emergencies."

"Hate to tell you this, Billy, but I don't see anything." Zack said, his energy zapped in the pain of the heat. The plateau looked over the desert that stretched between the closes cities of Stone Canyan and Angel Grove. From their distance nothing could be seen other than the parched grounds as the breath of hot air picking up the gathered weeds and grains of salted sand. " Are you sure those blue prints were accurate?"

" Affirmative." He tapped the spot where they were now located on his own copy of the blue print. " It's right below your feet. The instructions I gave you should allow you access into the base."

Rocky shrugged his shoulders at Zack and Adam.

" You heard the man." The three kneeled to the dry grains of sand below their feet and each touched the ground, hoping to find a discret handle or latch. " Billy, I think you need to recheck- Whoa!" Rocky nearly feel over as a band of light beamed in a pool of liquid colors. The pigments were blinding and coated in radiant shapes and bright colors.

The three former rangers covered their eyes, standing.

" I take it back, Billy." Rocky said as his eyes adjusting to the light. " I think we found it."

Before a response could come three lassos of light engulfed them in their rightful colors of black, green, and blue, tugging them beneath the earth.

* * *

**Back on Platos  
**

* * *

They appeared in screens of cloud and a river of incandescent energy. When it desolved, they stood in daze, dumbfounded by their new and unexpected surroundings. Kimberly fell to her knees, her body trembling, and hands clenching the sides of her head, completely overwhalmed by the intensity of the unknown sound and the feeling, rather than the distance she traveled with the group to accompany her. 

"How did we-"

" Did she-?"

" What just happened?"

"Its louder, don't you hear it?" Kim called, ignoring the others lost comments, and lifting her eyes... to find a camp site no more than a few feet away. The camp fire was matted in the fabrications of burnt earth remains. A small chimney of smoke piped up the air in a white snaking mist, slicing through the tent from its distance between Kim and the pitched shelter. The tent itself was only large enough to house a minimum of four people; the sides were slightly bloated with more than four people in the inside. The door was unzipped and flapped open to confirmed that there were indeed more than the limited amount of people inside. Upon Kimberly's call and the others, murmured. The tent exhaled three of their friends with blasters leveled at them incase of a threat.

Katie was the first to lower her weapon, followed by Tayler and Kelsey. Relief flooded over their faces as they recognized their comrades, sorrow and distress surfaced their faces. Kim collected herself to her feet onto two shakey legs.

" Something's wrong, isn't there?" Kimberly didn't know how she knew, but she knew. She was lured here, drawn here by something urgently screaming for her.

Tayler frowned. " How did you...?" She stopped herself. Her head bowed as the breath left her lips. " She's...Dana's doing the best she can..."

" What do you mean?" Trini looked perturbed upon the look of the three yellow rangers demeanors. "What's wrong?"

Dana came out the tent upon hearing the new voices outside. She gave them a genuine smile that looked strange with her dishearten and fatigued conduct. Without the smile, she looked truely enervated and distressed.

" Aisha's resting in the tent." The new arrivals brows furrowed in confusion and growing concern.

Dana wiped her short blonde hair behind her ears.

" She was poisoned. I did everything I could do to rid the pain, but..." She ran out of words, they gathered at the base of her throat, tighting within her. She tried to relieve them by clearing her throat, instead her eyes strained with tears and her jaw tensed around the unsaid words.

" Oh no..." Alyssa cupped her hands over her mouth, her eyes widen in realization; Ashley reached absently for the Alyssa beside her. Kendrix took a step back beside Jen, who inhaled unevenly; Trini blinked coming to grasp of the unsaid.

" I did everything I could do, but the poison..the poison is still taking its toll." Dana murmured in a teary voice. " I'm sorry." No one said anything. It was what she expected, yet what she dreaded.

Dana hugged herself despite the heat, the coldness invading her. A hand touched her shoulder and her eyes met the most serene of ones she hadn't expected, but welcomed their warmth.

Kim could feel the pain and defeat in her fellow ranger's heart as she brushed her hand lightly on Dana's shoulder, offering cordial and warmth as she could allow, before her hands trembled away. Kim entered the tent, the air instantly bending heavy on top of her. Kat sat close to Aisha's side, her fingers weaved around the limp of Aisha's own. Her shoulders quaked softly as if a cold drift had been let in, her hair hung unglomorously dull at her shoulders, suggesting she was under grave stress, and mostly plausibly, had yet to eat. Her attention was fully devoted to her friend and had not even acknowledged Kim's entrance.

The pink ranger kneeled beside her, her eyes finally coming to unite with Katerine's sorrowful ones. Kat opened her mouth and no words came out, just a silence of heartfelt whispers that didn't come. The tears were relentless as were her needs as Kat collapsed into Kim's awaiting arms, her arms wrapping themselves around the smaller woman's neck, her cheek resting on the long locks of chestnut hair that webbed her shoulder. Kim held her, allowing herself to surrender herself into the affection for her upset friend. She whispered nurturing words and smoothed out her yellow gold locks, using everything in her tittering will to calm the rage within her mind.

The moment was still.

Their friends came in to the tent, most collecting outside the wide entrance; none wanting to disturb. Focuses split between the two rangers and the one laid on her proclaimed death bed. Trini kneeled on the opposite side of Aisha, her hand reaching out to touch the damped slickness of her forehead; her skin burned with fever.

Aisha's eyes wondered beneath her eyelids and her lips were broken with dryness that rivered with droplets of blood. Her torso was wrapped tightly with fresh bandage that already began to seep through with wetness that came from Aisha's frail form. Trini leaned forward and reached her hand in to a bowl of warm water and drain the towel that bathed in the small pool, so it remained only damped. She cleaned the sweat and the pin drops of blood, the dark skin of her friend ill colored and unnatural on her. Her breath was faint, even so that it was difficult to decipher without leaning in close to her lips.

Trini inhaled, the image already engraving itself into her mind and sawing at her emotions. She looked to Kim.

" Can you heal her?" Everyone keyed into Trini's words. " Like with me, can you save her?" Kat slowly pulled out of Kim's embrace, looking from Trini to Kim and back to Aisha.

Kim drew closer to Aisha. " I think thats why I was supposed to be here; Aisha is somehow calling out for me." She said, so softly, her pitch barely raised to a whisper. She brushed away the few stray braids from the side of her face and Aisha's chest heaved with wrecking coughs.

" What do you mean heal ?" Katie inquired unable to stand the suspense any longer. Jen placed a hand on her shoulder as her body nearly launched forward with her curiousity and uneaseness.

" You can do that?" Dana shook her head in disbelief and equally in interest and concern. " With your powers?"

Kim didn't hear them, only the call, the cry. She understood it now, what it was, and why it lured her, so powerfully. Her powers simply reached, the source of her powers felt its urgency and immediately responded to its aid. And though Aisha fell heavily into a deep sleep, something within her awaken in her subconsciousness.

It was Aisha's spirit animal.

The bear.

Kimberly laid one hand on top her forehead and the other over her wrapped middle, she could feel her hands tingle and knew her powers were gently seeping through Aisha's skin.

_Control it Kim, _She willed herself silently. _You have to control this_.

She inhaled and released, her brow breaking into a sweat. Already, she could feel the drain from transporting herself and the others to the campsite, her body still had tremors from the amount of power taken from her. She tried to center herself, her emotions and mediate, focus on the call of the bear.

"_You can't save her..."_

Kim breath caught in her chest. She looked to her side, blood pooled at her knees and trailed up the clothing of the dranched little girl. Her skin was unperched, yet soaked with plasma.

"_She'll die..."_

"No..." Kim began to tremble.

Trini looked to where Kimberly looked, dazed. She looked towards Dana, but her eyes never met the lightspeed ranger's eyes.

" Kimberly...?" Kim head snapped toward Trini, eyes widen in such fear Trini had never seen. "What's wrong?"

"I can save her," Kim said staring down at Aisha more intently than before. Trini observed the way her head slightly tilted as if listening to something over her shoulder, her hands trembled as they slowly leveled back on top of Aisha's forehead and torso. Her eyes began to burn and her body tensed in heat. " I have to save her."

Everyone witnessed in awe as Kimberly's body flickered with hot pink flames that waved and danced in every direction. Her hair was doned in light that misted out from the liquid fire of her eyes in a renaissance of what half of them had earlier witnessed. Kimberly steadied her breathing, pulling in as much energy as the earth could give and her body could hold in its dainty condition.

_You can do this, Kim, _She thought. _Concentrate._

She felt her head grow light and the tremors swell within her. The sweat on her forehead now broke from the beads and created raindrops down the sides of her face as they crafted burning trails along her skin. Everyone watched her quietly, awestruck and at a lost of words, and what some believed to even be their sanity.

But Kim could only see the bloody little girl eyes remain lifeless and cold on her, hacking Kim's concentration.

_Focus, Kim. _She welled herself. Her hands pressed lightly onto Aisha's burning skin, causing the ill ranger to softly groan in pain and her eyelids to clench deeper into their sockets . _Focus._ Kim tried to ease the tension in her shoulders and let go of her mind. To ease in to the call and the mind of the one that needed her the most.

Her eyes closed, and silence beckoned her, as her surroundings drifted to a close. There was nothing but darkness left, and the bear's call that eloped her from all around.

* * *

**Author's note: Finally!!!** Sorry about the wait you guys and about the quick note I'm about to leave ( A litte late for work!), but I'm back and have been rewriting, writing, and editing without end. My mom's been in the hospital for 45 days plus, and finally got out last week, so I was happy to get back to business. First of all, I've been wanting to ask if everyone has been getting my responses to your reviews? Remember, I respond to every review I get that leaves an email or has a penname with that pretty little reply button beneath it, so REVIEW! I love hearing from you people and check for new reviews everyday. Have to thank all of you who reviewed and kept reviewing asking me to get off my ass and write; update! It worked. This is only part one, part two will be up in due time. Also, I've been Nominated for the **What a Character Awards**, thank you so much for all who nominated me. Theres so many awesome writers listed on there, it blew me away to be apart of it. This is my first nomination for anything! Be sure to vote for your favorites!!! I know I voted already and not for myself. 

Anyway, tune in next time, and be sure to check out my other stories**. REVIEW THEM!** Please! Anyway, time for work. Please, excuse all errors. Got to go!

** EclipsingFlames **


	18. Faded: Part 2

* * *

**For my best friend, Chanelle Summer. Congrats on gaining everything you deserve and always managing to land on your feet. ****Love ya, chick. **

* * *

**Faded: Part 2**

* * *

Adam looked at himself, patting his chest down to see if his hands would dissolve through. The other's did the same, before they looked baffled at one another and up at the solid ceiling above. 

" What just happened?" He asked, perplexed.

Zack shook his head.

" That definitely wasn't teleporting, thats for sure." His hand rest on his chest that not too long ago passed through several feet of hard earth and steel. The solidness of the ground had melted through him, and before he knew it, the earth was rushing up around him, till a cold draft wrapped him in its hands upon his landing. Zack shivered, shaking his head as he glanced up at the high ceiling over head." Wish Billy would have forwarded that little piece of information to us. About being sucked through the ground, before we _were_ sucked through the ground."

" Nope, Billy did the right thing," Rocky said, rubbing his stomach as a grimace twisted his face. " Otherwise, I wouldn't have come on this little adventure in the first place."

" Look at this place." The two finally acknowledged their surroundings as the lights flickered throughout the large room, washing over the mounts of crates and cobwebs collected from an unpredictable amount of time. Ancient panels and units managed to breathe bleeps of light into tiny bulbs along the surfaces caked with filth. Spare patches of floor held stray pages of printouts and blueprints. Adam kneeled down and raised a spread sheet as Rocky shined a small flash light over the document from behind him.

" The prints too washed out to make out." He held the document up for Rocky to see, but when he couldn't make out the wording he let it fall to the floor with a huff.

" Billy, do you read me?" Zack's voice echoed throughout the chamber as he repeated his call into his communicator. " Billy?"

" Don't bother," Adam stood, his eyes sweeping before him, before he glanced back to Zack. " We must be in a dead zone. So deep in the Earth our communicators can't get frequency above ground."

" Or an energy barrier blocking the radio waves." Zack shined his own flashlight over the tall stacks of boxes and papers. " That's usually the case."

" You think, its possible for a place like this to still have power?" Rocky inquired.

" I didn't think it was possible that this place existed." Zack replied, sweeping his flashlight before him, illuminating different objects and uncovering the grime. " Look at all this stuff; think anything in here could help us?"

" Its too much to sift through. Anything remotely legible attach a teleport-pod to it. We'll let Billy and the crew sort it out." Adam spoke, indistinctly, as he pressed a round device onto a sealed case. Three lights bleeped yellow, before they all burned a solid green. According to Mrs. Fairweather (or Mrs. Rawling), the devices were faultless creations, but Adam couldn't help the doubt from creeping into his thoughts. " Hopefully, the teleportation works better than the communication down here." He whispered, softly.

" Why would Zordon keep all this hidden from us? I mean, if Billy hadn't decoded those files from the power chambers recovered data boxes, we would have never known this facility existed." Rocky mused, his fingers grazing random stacks of crates and faded, brittle papers.

" Look around," Adam's flashlight waved over the heaps of piles in various directions. " Maybe Zordon didn't tell us about this place, because there's nothing useful here. Why should he have to tell about his basement full of junk? Maybe Billy read the data wrong about this place."

" This stuff has to mean something. Otherwise, Zordon wouldn't have had it divided from where the main chambers." A puff of dust lifted thickly off the surface of a panel into Zack's face. He coughed, before he cleared his throat and wiped his watering eyes. " Zordon wouldn't build this place just for worthless odds and ends. Billy knows that; we should know that. Thats why we're here.''

" Nothing worthless, huh?" Adam slapped a teleport-pod onto a random crate with stray wires and circuit boards gutting out the loose top. " Then why didn't Zordon tell us about this place, again? If you ask me all this stuff is just a stage act for the wrong company."

Rocky glanced at Zack, meeting the former black rangers hardening gaze as a frown formed on his own face.

" Your not blaming Zordon for what happened to Tommy and the others, are you?" Rocky inquired, cautiously.

" Shouldn't we all be?" Adam huffed. Zack's jaw clenched and Rocky's brow pulled tighter together. " We have an enemy out there that crippled us in a matter of minutes. Zedd and Mondo struggled for years to do what Diamond did! Zordon had to have known of a force that powerful. Why didn't he tell us or prepare us for something like this? We all know all this could have been damn well avoided if he had."

Rocky laid a hand on his best friend's shoulder.

Adam didn't yell, but the strain in his voice rose with belligerence that made Rocky feel guilty to even hear. Zordon was like a father to each of his rangers; he died to protect them. What right did they have to say Zordon kept this from them, intentionally? Rocky just couldn't bring himself to hold the sage in contempt, yet he also understood Adam's resentment. They were retired, they moved on and were living life in all its normality, until one by one, their own were plucked away from their lives and thrown back into the life they were starting to see there was no escape from.

" We're all upset, but venting isn't going to wash away the problem." Zack said, sincerely. " Now, let's just get this done. I'm starting to feel claustrophobic here."

Adam signed, turning away from both former rangers to push deeper through the towers and sea of shabby papers. His frustration were wearing him to the ground, through it and back to the present where he was just stuck shifting through these recyclables. Zack helped him separate the the boxes along the wall, the echos of the sharp coughs and sneezes cutting through their labor. The lights of the room flickered dimly against the wall and Zack saw something glint dully in the corner of his eye. He leveled his flashlight over the wall with a plate of some kind, half masked behind the shoulder high stacks.

" I see something." Zack announced.

" What?"

" I don't know. Help me move the rest of these from the wall." Zack eagerly pushed a full box into Rocky's awaiting hands as Adam moved the top container off the second pile and sat it to the side. In a a short time, the wall was fully visible and a steel plate of a bold thunderbolt hung on the wall in a gleam of metallic glaze. All three beams of their flashlights combined with the flickering of the over head lights over their heads. The faint colors across the surface of the wall illuminated, but there was nothing else. Just a wall that showcased the only piece of decoration.

Zack reached out in curiosity, the plate was warm, so alien within the coolness of the chamber. The warmth flowed upward on his arm, and before anyone could gasp a word through their lips, the plate brighten with a white light that poured out over the entire wall. The wall gasped and hissed as it slide down and into the floor to reveal a room just beyond it.

Lights flooded the massive chamber and all three of their mouths gapped open.

" I think we're going to need bigger teleport-pods." Rocky managed to utter.

* * *

Lost in whatever cavern that had consumed her, she felt gravity suck her through the abyss, further away from awareness her mind was grasping by the threads. Outside, she could feel the presence of everyone else, awaiting for her to return, but she couldn't respond. She was pathless, bound by the pain that gripped her mind, and slowly forced her to slip away. 

For a moment, she dreamt... sensations rolling in thick and rapid tides that sank her heart, twisted it and pulled it inside out. From dreams, she drifted into memories that repeatedly hit her tenfold as her heart collected every impact, before the immortality of darkness. The knowledge of that crept through her thoroughly, existing out of occasion and dawning into an aggraving force of acceptance that was nothing other than frightening as she had no choice but to let take over.

She was just too weak to fight for breath...to live.

The thumps of her heart just kept fading.

'_So many things I never got to do...'_ She wasn't sure if she spoke the words outloud nor thought them. _'So many things I never got to say to the people I love...I wish...'_ The words melted, dissolved away in the edge of passing, and soon she was gone along with them.

No angels, bright lights, or heavens gates that led to God's awaiting hand...

Just the hallows of unforsaken darkness swallowing her whole.

* * *

**Meanwhile**

* * *

There were no memories, no thoughts, no connection to reality. Just the sharp tear the cry made in Kim's mind. The bellow of the bear. The wail of her best friend. Her voice echoed in a massive ripple through the darkness of the solituded area, where everything pulled and ripped through her for a taste of her soul. 

Kim never felt anything like this before. She could feel the bear in her blood, feel it dying as if its razer claws were ripping her insides apart, only so much worse. This was her first time passing over the sharp edge of life and death, witnessing with her own eyes and mind the difference between the two. Life was rich and sweet, bathed with rainbows and spirals of gold and soft delicacies. Death, life's negative and opposite end was bitter, making her insides convulse and everything around her harsh and charcoal black with nightmares and pain. The two ends didn't border any signs of afterlife or faith healing remedies nor answers, there was just an endless tornado of thoughts, questions, wishes, prayers... All fading in and out. Walking the razor edge of life and death.

Kim tried to peer through the heavy darkness with no direction on what to do next.

Healing people was still so complex and shifted with every person she helped, which was very few. When she was tutored on the skill, she was told it was like pushing your way through miles of thick clutter. To get through you had to become light, weightless, while maintaining deep concentration, both mentally and physically. Once you gained access through the door of the mind, you stepped directly into a room of thoughts that washed over you in an intensity of emotion. It was a dream world where the mind was partly conscious of your invasion and molded you into its cycles of imaginative projections and the untamed design of the mind that ran through millions of thoughts per second. Only this completely differed from Trini's, she was fighting to stay alive in Aisha's mind, because she was utterly connected to her subconsciousness. To place it simply, she either saved Aisha before she slipped to far to retain or pass along with her, if she couldn't retract her mind in time. The body couldn't possibly function without the mind, and Kim's mind no longer belonged to her body.

Suddenly, Kim understood what she had to do.

She pushed her fingers through the liquid of darkness, its contents of heedless chants and tumult shivering as she surrendered herself to it.

_Control it! _

_Control it! _

Kim felt her eyes dance with verve and blaze as her powers ran out of her like waterfalls into the pool that drowned her. She felt her mind tremble, then quake and finally implode from within her, through her and soaked the space with the most numbing conflagration.

Then, the light poured in and the connection broke...

* * *

**Meanwhile **

* * *

Kat observed, her emotions deeply proned to numbness. Aisha still looked deeply rooted in fever, sweat collecting in large heaps over her exposed skin and darkening her shredded tank. Her breath was still bearly audio and her chest proposed no signs of rise nor fall without having to gaze narrowly for an extensive amount of time. Over her frail body, two hands webbed her with pink strings of astonishing power sprouting from the finger tips with far more delicacy than what the pink ranger had witnessed before at the tavern. 

Kat licked her bottom lip to moisen the cracking skin, and hopefully, relieve the knotting of her face from it's sorrow and overwhelmed mien. It was a small tremor of perceptional thinking. The scene was intense, the air was too still, solid like sheets of glass cracking with each exhale of breath the group collectively made in uneven patterns. The cloak of pink rays cascaded itself over Kimberly's body like raining water of pink flames and stamped her hair with blaze that caused it to raise from her shoulder in gentle ripples as if the wind had combed its very fingers into the chestnut twines. The sight was so angelically frightening, it willed the emotions from your body without consent and vibrated with glorifying existence. The enigma of the event rose enough question to make her mind inebriate from the long, mute pause that dragged on.

Was it working?

Could Kim really heal her?

The agonizing suspense just dragged on without signs of any dawning answers.

Suddenly, the air rushed in from everywhere and no where at once, all drawing around Kimberly's taunt form. It rippled the inside of the cramped tent till it dissolved, and blew it away from around them in a soundless current. Then, the air calmed, the hot air cooled as a sweeten inhale of breath, seemed to drown everything else.

Then, something else remarkable happened.

Aisha's body was invaded with a rich fuchsia, then a shivering crimson and red with bursts of gold and pinks, all pouring and spilling from Kimberly in raging flames of rainbows and shapes. Gasps chorused, bodies shifted, while others sat still in amazement from the sight. Everyone was just stricken with awe as they watched the changes occur. Aisha's sicken skin restored to a sweet honey sickle brown and healed better than it ever was. Her full lips, smoothen and medicated to its natural color; the broken skin and blood just disappeared. The thick sweat on her body evaporated as the bandages around her torso glowed from within with liquid rays of light. Then, like two dawning suns, two hazel orbs peaked through long lashes that shadowed over their beauty, clear and unfazed.

The light retreated, fusing into the air as if never illuminated in the first place. The air stilled, slowly invading with warmth as the bonding of one newly restored breath, inhaled and released air without an ounce of difficulty. Kimberly withdrew her marvelous powers back within her, her body nearly collasping over in fatigue. Trini instantly reached out to catch her, but stopped abruptly by a silent, yet, desprately emotional croak of Kim's voice. With her eyes still mended to a close and her body tremored without sustainment, her body tensed in contration before the yellow ranger's finger tips could graze her clothing.

" D-dooon't...!" She stretched the word painfully through her clenched teeth, breathing out the word with such force it seemed as if her teeth would brake from the meer energy it took to form them. Trini shifted from one numbing knee to the other, her face looking torn from wanting to follow the pleading instruction to despretely wanting to aid her friend.

Kim bridged over Aisha with great strain, her lips glued to one another to contain her shattering cry as the others drew closer over the cotton and polyester floor of what remained of the tent. The growing silence and stillness was becoming beckoning to them all. Kimberly leaned back, shivering, allowing them all to see as she fought hard to regain her momentum, while keeping her distance away from everyone else.

* * *

**Not far away...**

* * *

Maya leaped down from the towering trees with the leaves rustling and the air whistling around her, till she landed with a soft thump and pose on the ground. Her eyes were wild and burningly narrowed through the trees that stood before her. 

" What is it?" Tanya inquired, laying a hand on her shoulder. " What's wrong?"

Maya slowly turned her head towards her, but her eyes dragging behind in the motion. She pointed in the same direction her eyes remained glued on.

" I saw something a few yards ahead." Her eyes finally met Tanya's. " A flash or something."

" It must be the others." Karone suggested the only possible idea as she hugged her backpack higher on her back.

" Maya, take us to it." Maya nodded jumping forward into the shrubs with Tanya, Tori, Cassie, and Karone on her heels.

* * *

**Meanwhile**

* * *

Aisha rose, awoken from her slumber fully relieved of any pain. Her body unscathed and silken. She looked at everyone, whom all looked back as if witnessing the most magnificent, yet curious thing. 

Kat's cry broke through her lips, and she instantly latched herself onto Aisha like a second skin, nearly throwing them back to the floor.

" Aisha...!" Kat whispered, softly. She cried, joyously her pedals of tears dissolving into merrily laughter as Aisha returned her embrace. Aisha's smile widen. Katherine's blond locks of hair creating bursts of white gold hues and rainbows with the help of the sun and her own tears. They swayed, they laughed and cried all over again. Their friendship deeper than most looking on knew.

Kat sat back onto the heels of her feet, her hand brushing back the long thin braids of her friend's hair.

"Guess, I really scared everyone, huh?" Aisha spoke, thinly as her throat contracted a bit from from her content cries.

" You really did," Trini said, taking her turn to embrace the former ranger and her good friend.

Aisha couldn't suppress her giggle, inhaling the air into her lungs with a gentle smile to her lips as Dana leveled her hand to the blooded bandage wrapped around her torso.

" May I?" She inquired. Aisha nodded as Trini unwrapped herself from the ranger's arms and clasped her hand within her own.

Dana followed the grove of the bandaged skin to where the tape glued the fabric together right beneath the ripped tank that gripped right beneath Aisha's bossom. The unraveled dressing collected at Aisha's hips and pulled free in a long thick sleater to a heap at Dana's knees. Her breathe caught.

The greenish yellow puss was nowhere to be seen. The white, flakey skin was back to its dark, smoothen form, intach as if never damaged. Dana ran her fingers over Aisha's lower back, searching for any scars or marks left behind to tell the tale of the beast's brutality. The deep clawed flesh was healed.

Dana's fingers ran in fascination over the skin, her finger tips trembling, as the mist in her eyes fatten to tears.

" I'm sorry..I'm just..." Dana's mind failed to form words. Instead, she embraced the yellow ranger with tears running down her cheeks and a sob leaving her lips. Aisha was taken aback by the pink ranger's action and lingered breifly in surprise, before she slowly collected her in her arms. Kelsey came forward to place a hand on Dana's back, turning her hand in small circles to help sooth her. The pink ranger's sobs told the story of suffocation from the lack of expressing her dread she struggled with, while maintaining Aisha's health on her own.

Aisha took a moment to collected herself; Dana retracted from the embrace, suddenly feeling foolish for her show of emotion. She raised her fingers to whip the glimming trail of tears from her flushed cheeks, and combed her long blonde hair behind her shoulders. Kat reached forward and placed a hand on Dana's shoulder, a gentle smile pulling upon her lips. With a silent understanding, the two pink rangers met each others eyes and nodded with smiles gracing the other. With just as much eagerness as Dana, the other rangers voiced their relief and contentment of Aisha's restored health.

Kimberly some how managed to creep away as everyone's attention drew to Aisha's recovery. She crawled away, shivering, her breathing labored as her fingers slid along the dirt to touch the tip of a shoe that had appeared from nowhere. Blood shivered down and redden her nails like polish, a whiff of sourness filled her nose, the fetor hit her senses and slammed her with an oder that could tear through the stench of vodka, as easily as tornados could uproot homes. The faint joys of welcoming the new arrivals to the camp, washed out from behind her as her eyes followed the trail of plasma up two legs, a torso, to the eyes that fell upon her like two beacons of hell about to engulf her.

Kimberly screamed.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

* * *

The anxiety and anticipation of her plans boiled the very blood beneath her skin, her powers were jumping through her finger tips; her fevered eyes whipped hungryly at the visual screen. The rectangled window hung with no visible support, its trim vined with slithering snakes of her power that bled in the dim light around her throne and screamed against the forlorn spaces. Something within her swelled as she gazed in to the screens center. Some how the ground wasn't as hard when she did this. There just wasn't a floor beneath her. For a moment, she allowed her face to soften from its comtemplating scorn and open up to expression much more cherished and rich to her. Something that had been tombed away for so long. 

And like that, it was gone, again. Casted to the deepest caverns of her mind.

Her thoughts... these pathetic feelings were useless. Emotions were fruitless and unacceptable. That was one thing she owed to that inadequate princess of evil, once known as Astronama, when she showed affection towards the titanium ranger, Zhane. The heart had to be the most unprofitable organ a being could contain, which made the human race a waste of oxygen and space in her universe. She would destory them, and every other race, that would stand in the way of even the cast of her superior shadow.

Her gorgeous features twisted deeper into the malign demeanor that shadowed her pale face as her siniter laugher hit the invisuable walls of the room. Diamond laughed till the lack of air tighten her torso and her throat dried; her tongue heavy for a bittersweet flavor. She reached to the small and round crystal jeweled platter that hovered along side her large throne chair, she grasped the exotic designed bottle that displayed the finest red wine. The liquir splashed needle points of wine on the platter and her manicured hand as it filled the glimmering glass in an uprush. The stealthy steps deluded to everyone's ears other than hers as she raised the glass filled nearly to the rim with the bittersweet taste that filled some of the void within her.

" Jaze, I'm assuming you've come to me with good news," She voiced in a light tone, her eyes shifting ever so slightly from the hovering view screen to the coal- black armored general before her high throne.

Jaze breathed hotly between his jaws, dragging the breath so slowly, a soft rumble sounded. His voice was soft , smooth, and deadly all at once.

" I do have news, my queen, but how it will be of value to you is what only you, yourself can determine." Jaze turned from her and with a shift flick of his wrist, he signaled two of the white armored soldiers forward with their laser carbines trained at the being. The newcomer walked briskly, breezing pass Jaze in a way that suggested doughtiness and provocation.

The small course of a rumble peeled through Jaze's mouth. Diamond concealed her amusement of the stranger's dynamist action towards her general and allowed the slightest twitch of her finger to murmur the rise of irritation flooding her.

The view screen before her twisted and knotted together, slipping into a puff of air.

The stranger's stride, slowed as he tucked his arm against his torso and took a knee before her high throne. The spot light that illuminated a circumference of the room hit his face, half his personable appearance vandalized by a jagged silver mask that seemed to seep into his skin and connect with each bone of his skull on the left side. Thin razors of teeth gleamed yellow as they exposed themselves through the toothy smile of his pillowy lips. Dark ropes fabricated his body, nearly fusing him into the background.

"My Queen," He said, his voice strong, but words slurred the tinest bit on the sharp points of his teeth.

Diamond paid him no more mind that the fraction of a fraction she had given him.

"Jaze, I see your mind has wavered from sense, again." Diamond chimed, smoothly, finding the soft ripples of her wine more amusing. " I ask for treasure and you bring me trash. I ask for information, and you bring me flith on legs with a face that makes yours appealing."

"My Queen, if I may speak-" Dasku began.

"You are not even permitted to breathe the same air as me, nonetheless speak."

" My queen, forgive me for my rudeness for bringing him pesonally to you." Jaze proclaimed. " He proposed to have some information on the missing rangers and insisted on being brought to you to tell you in person."

Diamond growled, her powers threaded the glass in her hand to show her fustration of the matter. She was tired; all her road blocks so far had been of blockage of the mind. People not giving her what she wanted when she demanded it. A thin zig zag of a crack split lightly on one end of her wine glass. Her eyes danced with crimson twirling within her pupils.

"Queen Diamond, I beg you for mercy and forgiveness for stealing your precious time away, but I have some information that I truly believe would be of great value to you. " Dasku words rushed together as his emotions instantly hit the edge of wariness.

Diamond's eyes slipped closed, her throat flexing and head tilting slightly to one side, hushing him in an instant. Jaze's armored fingers grazed the hilt of his sword that was fastened securely in its sheath. His breath rumbled, low and long.

"Speak swiftly," She finally permitted. Her voice chilling to Dasku's core. "Jaze; remove his head from his shoulders, if he so much as thinks of me as a fool of treason."

Jaze's long blade slipped soundlessly from the throat of the sheath. The sharp edges glimmed with a deadly grin in the light as he leveled the blade accordingly for a swift strike.

Dasku ignored him, taking the liberty to stand tall, before the queen.

" Recently, I had a run in with some of the rangers on planet Oynx. Seems they know of your arrival in this region of the universe, and that you are the one responsible for the capture of their leaders."

" And I'm supposed to fear them?" She groaned, purred, seductively stretching her neck to the other side, away from her hovering table where the bottle of wine tempted the very darkness into intoxication. "Tremble, because they know my name?"

" Of course not, my empress," His eyes shined and shoulders pulled back as his lips twitched the tiniest bit. " If anything, they now know to fear you."

Jaze's eyes narrowed. " Why would the ranger's want to travel so far to that barren planet of infestation? I must admit, I am not surprised that is where someone of your standards potentially met them."

" I'm glad the situation amuses you. As I was saying," Dasku maintained his dignity, keeping the bite of his tongue submerged in the queen's presence. He kept his eyes forward, not even so much as to grace Jaze with the thinning of his eyes. " Years ago, I managed to capture one of the ranger's former associates, one of the android's from the planet Edenoi. I'm sure you heard of Zordon's personal assistant, Alpha 5."

"Zordon!" The wine glass completely shattered in the queen's hand, the bit of sharp shreds pulsing with popping red volts before her feet. She sat forward, teeth clamping at the cursed name that no one dared to speak of before now. " Zordon of Eltar'?!"

"Yes, my queen." Dasku grinned.

" Are you sure, you captured the right Alpha? The establishment line of those androids are practically endless, so I'm curious to know, what makes you so sure you caught Zordon's aid?"

"Not every Alpha has extensive knowledge on you, my Queen." His voice dark as he pulled his cape tighter around his body. " But if there was, I made sure to make the proper incision into his exoskeleton just to be sure."

"Go on..." She urged his story forth.

Dasku's lips desperately wanted to stretch in what little glory he earned. It took a lot to impress someone such as Diamond, just as much as it took to capture their interest. He knew his life depended on retaining that interest, if he was going to pull this off.

" I am a lot older than whatever age I may seem, my Queen. I remember, the great war, the countless encounters, between your father and his former antagonist, whom I will hold my tongue on his name in respect to you and the King. I remember your father leading our kind through countless victories, becoming a dictator to worlds that claimed to hold the most potent armies. Why, I even remember you." He allowed himself to express the most charmed and gracious smile to her.

" If you were indeed present when Lord Dimenis ruled, you obviously didn't worship him enough to fight by his side and die in his honor." Jaze hissed, knuckles folding tightly as his hand grasped the hilt of his detrimental blade.

" Nor did you, general." Dasku countered, eyes sliding in there sockets to bore coldly at the general.

" My services were ordered to the Queen!"

"And my life has been pledged to the King's example, his lesson and console." Dasku narrowed his eyes on Jaze. " I remember all these things, yet I was too young to participate at the time, but my father did, as did my mother and my brother. They laid their bodies to the ground and spilt their blood for him!" He looked to Diamond, leaning his upper body forward in deep respect. " As I have come to serve and do for you. So I have come from my home world, to seek out the perfect bidding for my fellowship with you- the capture of the alpha robot."

"Which I may add, is not present, my Queen." Jaze inserted much to Dasku's irritation. The obvious tickle to the general's voice hadn't gone unnoticed by Diamond nor had Dasku's inclination to build his story with the culmination as the frosting.

" Get on with it, Dasku." Diamond silenced them both in their bickering. "My patience is tiring."

"General Jaze is right. I don't have the android, but information I managed to take from him is still with me." Dasku lifted a finger to his chin as he paused for time to collect his thoughts and calm his nerves from the ice that were Diamond's eyes seeping through him. He lowered his amr back to his side as he spoke. " I know you've come to seek the crystal, therefore, you must know about the Amora Journal as well, correct?"

Diamond watched him for a moment in silence. Her fingers flexed back as the whining thought to end this conversation began to louden. For Jaze, she could tell the hunger of the blade was becoming more tempting for him to tame. At a glance, she could tell Jaze was more that ready to nurture the sword.

" I already have the book in my presence." She finally answered.

" And the sword?" Diamond frowned, a spark of inquiry forming in her mind.

" What sword?" She looked to Jaze for an answer, but like her he seemed to not know of what Dasku was getting at.

" The Styx Blade that once belonged to your father." Dasku casually tilted his head to the side as if she should know. " Surely, you are aware that to retain the crystal, the sword is needed as well?"

" My father's sword...?" Diamond echoed, softly. Her eyes snapped to Jaze's direction. " Do you know what he is talking about, Jaze?"

" The sword the King had forge for the final battle, My Queen" Jaze's shoulders rose and fell as he inhaled with a thin growl between his teeth. " But I have no extensive knowledge to there ever being a saying that the sword was part of the ritual to reclaim the crystal. Nor do I see how it could ever be."

" Well, its a good thing, I came along to educate you, old pup." The rumbled stirring deep within Jaze's chest poured out loudly to silence him, but Dasku could only laugh.

"Well, get on with it!" Diamond urged, hands bracing over the arms of her throne, eyes slowly widening into saucer's at the possible missing piece to what she thought was a whole puzzle. " Tell me more of my father's sword."

" My pleasure, my Queen." Dasku cleared his throat, before he began. "When the White Wizard was destoried by Styx within the hand of the King, the crystal was thrown into space, as we all know, but the sword remained. The magicks used to craft it had indeed protected it from the very power that it was crafted to repel, rotted of all its black magic and left on the grounds of our enemies planet. Some say, it was the spilt blood of the wizards that turned it. There are many things that are said. Never the less, the sword is still intact. The location of it has been unknown, but Zordon's allies are no fools, and if your presence is known to them they will go to any length to keep it from you. The Styx Blade that once belonged to your father, now rightfully, belongs to you."

Dasku gave the Queen time to consider his words, the smile he was holding no longed kept masked in fear.

The game was risky, but even more so when you knew you were about to lose. And Dasku would not loose, again. When the rangers had appeared at the tavern they thought they defeated him, but they merely underestimated him. After all, his life was dedicated to this moment.

He was a rogue, a mercenary to be exact. He did his job for pleasure when the payment was right, but all the same, it was work with a structured freedom attached. He never recieved a job he didn't intend to finish. In the further stretches of space, away from earth and the power rangers, he was well known under several alias'. He assassinated high class emperors, kings, governors, and several other titled personages for the immoral, enjoying their eagerness when the agreements were sealed to have complete liberty to slaughter the targets however he pleased. That was the thrill of the game, his most tainted passion that beings like the power rangers fought to defeat.

Dasku loved massacre, bled with the need to cause misery. So when he heard the tiding reign of King Dimenis' daughter he took instant interest.

After years of observing the sprouted teams of power rangers over time, studying their victories and struggles, the knowledge of them became all he knew his life to be. Dasku could understand why so many had tried for earth and burned to destory their forces to an obsession. Humans. Their kind were the inferior of the majority of the known universe, and yet, it was their kind that subordinated empire after empire as baffling as it was. Rita, Lord Zedd, the Machine Emipre and their generals. They were all respected once, till humans knocked them down to a status lower than froth.

Evil disowened them. It was a disgrace to evil's kind to be defeated by the humna beings, and actually come to fear them- No. To become _terrorized _by their name alone. Power Rangers. Soon, everyone seeked to have their taste of them, to show who could not destory them before, how it was done. Divatox, Maligore, Dark Spector!

One by one, each and everyone of them were defeated!

When Astronama managed to do the unmanageable and capture Zordon of Eltar, everyone knew it was the true time of darkness. They were supreme! Until the unexpected happened, Andros, leader of the space rangers, destoried Zordon, the sage's life force spilling purity over the darken. Turning warloards and wiccans good spirited, turning others to dust, and few _human_.

Dasku was grateful to be out of reach of Zordon's infamous wave, the occurrence keeping him at a distance for so long, trying to build his mind and strength for war.

The **_real_** war.

Now was the time that everyone needed to be on a side or be struck down by both, if they so happened to get in the way. That was why Dasku captured Alpha 5 and ventured to planet Oynx frequently. He needed to earn his way into the right side, Queen Diamond's side. He didn't want to be another foot soilder either, leave the lacky work to someone of lower capabilities. He wanted head general. Wanted the job, Queen Diamond's loyal servent, Jaze, famously owned.

However, his one clear shot was ruined. He had the female rangers in his grasp in an unforeseen attack on both sides and had been prepared with the tribulator. If it had not been for that one ranger, they would be gift wrapped for the Queen at this very moment.

Dasku cursed the fates.

That one ranger cloaked in pink embers of fire was a power ranger, one he had never heard of before, till that day at the tavern. Not with the abilities to do what she had done, anyway. Her skills were incrediable as much as he hated to admitt it. Her powers unexplainable in all its intensity and greatness. She seemed not at all a treat he couldn't handle, but she prevailed.

This woman was different, a ranger with no limitations with the eyes of blinding madness. The eyes of a killer. Dasku felt it in her, raging with magnificent energy throbbing in her very vains.

_Kimberly. _

His thoughts darken with her name, each letter twisting and flexing hotly in his mind. That woman took him down as if she were merely exhaling a breath to breathe! Dasku still couldn't rid the battle from his mind. She had empowered him, brought him down to her mercy.

That was unacceptable.

Dasku's plan had failed, true, but revenge was enough to drive the sane blooded thirsty. And Dasku's mouth was dripping for a taste of Ms. Kimberly. Of all the rangers. That was another reason why he had ventured through the barrior of blaze to reach Diamond without the rangers.

" The Styx Blade..." Diamond bit her bottom lip thoughtfully as she fell into remembrance. "I remember... my father's mind was corrupted with need. He craved the crystal as I do now and he hungered for the death of the wizard. My father would spend days in solitude, sometimes weeks, left to his own thoughts, and never once did he come to me. Not once."

She leaned back cooly in her seat, her face blank with the icy memory.

" When he did break free of his private domain, he latched onto the most powerful black magick wiccans and sorcerers, who banded together to prepare the dawn of a new enchantment. They gathered to speak words that had only been spoken once, since the beginning of time."

"The words... do you remember the words?" Dasku inquired, excitedly. The time for proper fashisions in the persence of a Queen were overthrown with the hunger for knowledge. Queen Diamond was too indulge in memory to catch his tone, but Jaze caught the manner with a trained ear.

A rumble of a growl sounded in the general's throat, and Dasku could see his eyes burn with embers. Dasku's eyes flickered with his own powers, thriving in various greens. His tongue slivered out of his mouth and washed his sharpen teeth and thin lips as he lifted a finger to flick Dasku's blade as if it were merely a child's play toy.

Diamond's voice tamed them both as they gave her their undivided attention as she went on.

" No. My father never let me near the magicks, fearing one wizard might grab ahold to me with his enchantments, but the crafting of the sword was an event even the King, my darling father, could not withhold me from." She grinned at the keepsaken experience. " With his own two hands, my father molded the hardest steel and used finest tools to decorate the back and chest of the blade, and forged the beginning of greatness, I couldn't begin to understand. When the time was right, it was dipped from end to end in the pool of potions that blackened it. Shielded it with the thick magicks it was protected as to not even be dented, nor brused in battle." She looked at Dasku. "If what you are telling me is true, then this is the reason the blade still exists today. Purified or not, you're right. It does belongs to me."

"Yes, it does," Dasku clamped his hands behind his back, his chest flexing forward in glory. " And you can get it back. You can revive the sword back to its true form in which your father enlivened it. You can use it to regain the Amora Crystal."

"Yes," Diamond smiled, standing as her fist clenched. "So tell me, Dasku, do you know where it might be?"

Dasku smiled wickedly, razer teeth exposing within the frame of his humane lips. He recalled the words spoken to him now with a bubbling glee of misfortune for the speaker.

" _If I hear that you told anyone we were here and why...I'll find you. And then, I'll kill you."_

Litte did she know she made a threat with the devil. He chuckled darkly.

" Yes, I believe I do." His eyes went ablaze with a new passion for blood. Blood he had never tased before. "A powerful woman..."

Queen Diamond looked deeply curious and eager to hear the name as Dasku dragged the answer along dramatically. Even Jaze's blade lowered milimeters from from his throat, inquisitive and ever silent with an attentive ear.

" A power ranger they call-"

* * *

"_Kimberly..."_

"I know what your going to say. " She stumbled over her own feet, her toes picking up blades of slinder grass and brittle twigs. She body tilted forward, her knees nearly caving beneath her swaying form. Her skin prickled in the sunlight, growing glossy with the web of energy running brilliantly over her skin. " I know what your going to say..."

The lips raised to an innocent smile. _" How could you? How could you do that? You were a power ranger. You ARE more than a ranger; you are power..."_

" Shut up!"

**Pow! Pow! POW!**

"Go away!" Kimberly broke the earth in with her knees as she clenched her head in overbearing agony. Her eyes sealed tight, the energy adding pressure to her mind, making her nearly surrender to its coming eruption. Kim sucked the air between her teeth in painful breaths that flowed through her tighten chest and narrow path ways to her lungs. Everything was on fire. The colors around her burnt her eyes, dived at her as boiling liquid and flames. The touch of any small grazes of wind made her want to claw at her own flesh.

"Kimberly?"

"I said, leave me alone!" Kimberly raised her ablazed eyes to the drenched girl...but she she dissolved. Trini stood only a couple of feet away, closing the gap between them. The welcoming of Tanya and the other four rangers had staled upon Kimberly's wails. "No. Don't come close; don't look at me, please..."

" Kim?" Aisha had stood, a blanket draped over her shoulders and crossed over her shredded tank and exposed torso. The others hung back as Aisha joined Trini at her side, before Kim. " You don't have to be afraid..."

"_If only they knew,"_ The little girl stepped right through Aisha, like a phantom, causing Kimberly to scramble back on her palms and dig her heels into the ground. _" How could anyone ever really accept you?"_

Kimberly breathing labored, air clogging in the strain of her throat. Her eyes widen with tears that burned her eyes red with a torrent of bitter emotions tearing at her conscious. _This was a mistake,_ She realized. _What was I thinking? Why did I come back...I'm not ready. I'll **NEVER** be ready!_

Trini looked at Aisha and met the same puzzlement her own eyes carried. The others observed,equally baffled at the sight of the withering pink ranger before them, quivering violently before them. None of them knew what to do for her, believing that if anyone were to get through to her, it would be Aisha and Trini.

Kat felt torn, her own eyes tearing at the sight of her friend on the ground, terrified of something, so simple and harmless as a touch. Kat found herself wanting to stand along side Trini and Aisha to try to coo their friend to a peace of mind, but part of her felt that she would disturb a special relationship built between the three that Kat was never really apart of.

Suddenly, she felt herself drawing closer to Tanya's side. To say she felt better beside her best friend and team mate would have been an understatement; she felt connected to her on a deeper level than that, as if there was no longer a thick haze over the bond they shared. She looked at Tanya, and noticed she felt the same link between them had awoken something deeper than what the zeo crystal nor turbo powers could ever connect them to.

Kat looked at the others beside her. Each former counter part drew closer to one another. Cassie and Ashley; Kendrix, Maya, and Karone; Dana and Kelsey; Jen and Katie; Tayler and Alyssa. Kat had no idea what spark their need to be with their team mates, but she suddenly had a flash of understanding to why she couldn't bring herself to intrude Kimberly, Trini, and Aisha's space. Why any of them couldn't. She saw Tori in the corner of her eye, struggling to keep her place, almost as if she were afriad to step close, but desperately needing to stand along side Kimberly. Kat couldn't really understand why there would be a bond formed between Tori and Kimberly, but whatever it may be, Tori felt it.

But why?

Why was this energy pulling them together as it was?

" I...I think it's Kimberly." Jen answered as if reading Kat's mind. Kat looked at the pink ranger questionly, pressing her to explain further. " I think Kimberly's doing it somehow, like when she was healing Aisha in the tent. Its coming from her."

" I think you're right," Kelsey agreed from nearby.

" What the hell happened when we were away?" Cassie murmured under her breath sharing a gaze with Ashley, who was to awestruck to say anything.

"Let us help you." Aisha was saying, luring back the attention of the puzzled women. The yellow ninja ranger kneeled beside her predecessor, flinching at the slight withdrawl of Kimberly before her. Embers teared down Kimberly's reddening cheeks. Her shoulders trembled from phantom brushes over her skin, while her lips quivered in its gapping formation. Her gaze was far away, her body slowly rocking back and forth as her hair hung around her face, disheveled.

Kimberly was trapped within her dream, the various floods of wailing conundrums tormenting her to no end as the pounding of the ball released constant gunshots within her head. She hugged herself tighter, digging her nails deeply into the legs of her dark jeans as the itch to rip at her skin became more than tempting. The throbbing noise made the grass and soiled ground seem like harden concrete. Kim clenched her head to stop the swell from rattling her brain, the sound magnifying with each connection the ball made with the ground. With each word the child spoke.

A dark substance moisten the ground beneath her. Vines and hands of energy rooted up to grab her as if it were about to pull her six feet under. The girl started to sing, chant, her voice echoing and whistling around her. The girl held up her tiny hands, her palms outstretched to her as plasma pushed through her skin and fell, like rain to the ground below.

_" No more running...No more hiding. I won't let you escape from me."_

"I'm sorry..." Kimberly melted her eye shut, willing the girl to disappear from sight.

"Kimberly? What's wrong?"

"T-Trini?" Kimberly kept her ears braced between her hands. The singing unceasing. " She won't l-leave me alone..."

"_Tell them why!"_ The girl was closer now, whispering directly into Kim's ear. The ball still beated against the ground; The beat caused her insides to shudder and a pressure to build against her heart.

"Who won't leave you alone, Kim?" Aisha urged growing more perturbed. Kim's skin flickered with a hot pink light, before returning to her normal skin color.

Kimberly didn't answer.

"Kimberly, please...You're scaring me." Trini felt tears round her cheek as she watched helplessly as her best friend quivered in a tight ball, whimpering in tears. "Tell me what happened."

"Trini, what do we do?" Aisha inquired, raising her tearing eyes to Trini's own. "I've never seen her like this before."

Trini opened her mouth to speak, but the pressure and strain building around her face from tears, stopped the development of words upon her tongue. Desperately, she looked to the other rangers, who formed an arch to the side of them. Their mien reflecting a show of disturbance and confusion from what they were seeing.

Kimberly craddled herself, her knees drawn to her chest and her hands firmly melted against her ears. Her fingers desperately wanted to pour into her brain to pull out the visions poisoning her brain. The blood. The girl. Tommy dead in her arms. Kim shivered; the girls whispers jumbled in multiple voices, all tormenting her.

_"Kimberly, help me."_

'_Tommy!'_

_"You could have saved me."_

'I tried..I wanted too.'

**Pow, Pow!**

The ball smached the ground in fury, repeatively. Kimberly tried to muff the sound with her hands clamped over her ears; her eyes tighten as the images welled.

* * *

**Flash**

* * *

_Her foot slipped and she hit the floor head first as the gym spin crazily around her._

* * *

**Flash**

* * *

_Her legs could barely hold her weight as her vision blurred in large doses of pain that caused her eyes to tear. Her bear feet slapped the pavement below, her skin exploded with flames as a metallic taste filled her tongue, and a sour smell filled her nostrils_.

* * *

**Flash**

* * *

_She had collapsed to the ground, the sharp cries of the crane spilling into her head and tearing through her insides._

* * *

Kimberly raised her hands to her face, swallowing painfully as she gazed feverly at both quaking hands. She jumped up quickly, scrubbing her hands on her pants to remove whatever stains there may be; the siren singing of the girl choking her. Her skin pulsated with flames. Her surroundings flushed and soaked with red as a sharp stab of pain hit her, nonstop, in the head. 

It was happening again.

_I have to leave,_ Her thoughts, urged. _I won't let this happen, again._ Trini and Aisha were speaking, their words overlapping as they stood back gazing in disbelief at the fire her body emitted.

" _You owe me."_ The girl sang, her voice overlapping the same words in various volumes, all repeating and chanting, her dreadful declaration.

Kimberly nodded. She couldn't fight it anymore, and the smile that spread over the child's face confirmed it. Slowly, she met everyone's gaze, everyone staring and drawing closer in bewilderment and lost. There was so much Kimberly wanted to say, before the darkness could swallow her. Part of the child in her still waited for all this to be a mere nightmare she would wake up from, and maybe even linger, before it thinned into nothing. But Kimberly carried this long enough to know that this reality would never die away. Not before it took what she rightfully owed.

Kimberly met Trini's scared gaze with her own.

_Trini, I'm so sorry for everything I did in the past. I apologize to all of you for who I am now._ Kimberly lifted her arms out along her sides as she raised her face up to the sky and shut her eyes against the sun's rays. _I wish I could tell you, it all was going to be okay... that I'm going to be okay. I wish I could be the person, I once was, but I can't remember her. _

A wind kicked through the trees and rustled the falling leaves on the ground. Trini shielded her face, trying to keep sight of Kim as her body emitted with a blinding light and produce heat that darken the ground beneath her.

" Kimberly!" She screamed. Aisha and the others echoed her as no one had any choice, but to tighten their eyes to the light and raging winds.

Kimberly only heard the climax of whispers increase into screams that squeezed her eardrums and twisted her heart.

_Tommy...I'm so scared. _She thought, lastly. But it was the last thing that developed, before a thick fog and blaze of crimson and pink flames inhaled her, dragging her away with a scream ripping through her lungs.

The hammering of the ball and wails ceased.

* * *

**Author's Note:**Woo!!! I didn't think I would get this chapter done. Whew! A lot of work went out to this one. I'm getting excited for this story, again. For a long time, I lost my muse to enjoy this, but thanks to everyones reviews, emails, and encouragement I found it, again. Thank you! I have lots of stuff planned ahead thanks to my friend Kim aka pinkwhitegreen4ever who gave me the push I needed. Lots of stuff happened in this story so I hoped everyone paid close attention, especially to the parts you think may not be important, hehe. The next update will be 'When Angels Commit', which is long over due. And I have a new story in the works called 'Broken Wine Glasses' that I'm excited about and should be up soon. Also, check out my reedited profile and check out the links to my MYSPACE and Amy Jo Johnson Official Music myspace. Its a hoot! I'm on it like everyday, haha. Sad, but true. Just add me or message me on there and I'll add you and message you back. I'm thinking about do another one completely dedicated to my stories one day and I want to hear everyones opinion on that. It'll just be till I inherit some knowledge on website developement and all. That takes awhile, if you're me. Anyway, thats about all I have to say. 

Please **REVIEW, EMAIL, IM, ADD ME TO MYSPACE-** I reply back to every available contact as most of you know. Hopefully, everyone gets them. Just let me know, if you dont.

Happy reading everyone!

_**EclipsingFlames **_

* * *


	19. Demons And Edges

**Dedicated to my sister, angel, heart and soul, Chanelle. And our rock, Diy. Love you both.  
**

* * *

**Demons And Edges **

* * *

**Platos**

**One Week Later...**

* * *

Each morning dawned eerie, the air filled with enough humidity to drown the blazing heat to a dramatic chill. The heavy clouds above their heads told of the first signs of rain. Whatever lurked behind the overflow of greenery hushed to hear the first drips of rain when they were to fall. The leaves above their heads trembled, shivering the fresh dew off their lush bodies as tiny drops licked down the tips. The ground soften with the moist, muting the steps they made and silencing their long days venture deeper into the heart of the jungle. 

Trini rubbed a grimy hand across her burning brow. Her chest was on fire with the moist, frozen air she sipped between her peeling lips. She hugged her chest, hoping her arms would keep themselves at a decent temperature to stay warm. Around her, foot steps muffled, and breathing chorused in huffs and puffs as they all filed forward to an unknown destination. The tree seemed to spread further apart the deeper they invaded the jungle, but it was still easy to get lost without the slightest hint of detail to pronounce the differences in the mass of land around them.

Trini examined the small opening around her, looking blindly for any small hints of a trail to follow. For days, they ventured without any leads, which was more than what they could ask for in this place. They might as well be chasing a ghost at this point.

" Kimberly!" Trini's sudden bellow made the others come to an abrupt halt as they swerved around and look back at their chosen leader with large eyes and caught breaths that made their chests to distend. Some small, birdlike creatures over head, shot like darts out of the trees with thin wails and screeches at the sudden voice of possible danger. " Kimberly!"

Trini narrowed her eyes at her surroundings, imaging the shrubs and thick bases of trees dissolving into thin air as all sounds muted to her ears. She was looking for only one thing; listening for only one person. The others ahead of her were nothing, but a blur as her gaze drifted over them, through them, just trying to transfix all her senses to finding Kim.

Aisha came to stand beside her, eyes wondering over the environment, before gazing up at Trini before her. The tall Asian sighed, her teeth clenching in frustration, body trembling in restlessness, and eyes narrowing in determination. Aisha nodded, mirroring her facet and emotion. Trini looked to Katherine and Tanya, the solid expression of consent visible to her as she slowly shifted her jaw. Trini looked away, her breath trembling slightly as she exhaled a shivering trail of steam from her lips. Her shaking fingers curled and pressed tightly within the palm of her hands.

" We keep moving," She said, her voice controlled, yet her tone, dour.

The other rangers of the team looked at her, each walking the threads of of exhaustion and deprivation. The long brutal days of marching through the extreme climates and suffocating embrace of the jungle was beating their minds and bodies to the point where most were having trouble functioning without rest. Rest these days were shutting your eyes for the few seconds, the insects buzzing around their ears and the cold hurting so much, it nipped at their numbing limbs in the long nights. Trini was so focused on finding Kimberly, shamefully enough, she placed the teams needs last, along with her own.

" Trini, the team needs to rest." Jen proclaimed, softly. She stepped closer to Trini, hoping the yellow ranger would met her gaze and come to an understanding. Jen understood all too well what it was like to be where Trini's mind was right now. Have determination and duty overwhelm all common sense and consideration for the team as a whole. " You've pushed them as far as they can go for one day."

" We keep moving." Trini said again, side stepping Jen without sparing so much as a glance her way. Jen grabbed for her arm, gently squeezing.

" Trini-" The leader turned and slapped Jen's hand off her. The other rangers tensed, some ready to intervene as Trini's harden eyes a lined with Jen's softer ones of understanding.

" Jen,...Don't! Don't touch me."

" Listen-"

" No, you listen!" Trini barked, her voice cutting so sharply through the chill and silence around them, few took an involuntary step back. " My best friend is out there. Alone. Again! I'm tired of waiting, of listening to people tell me, 'everything is going to be okay' or that 'she's fine'. I won't listen anymore! Not when its obvious something is seriously wrong."

" And no one is saying any different." Jen's voice rose in volume. " But you still have to look after your team. You're our leader..."

" I never asked to be anyones leader." Trini muttered in disdain. " The only reason I was ever selected was because I got chosen to wear the colors first."

" That's not true..."

" You want to prove me wrong?" Trini snapped with an uncharacteristic shadow darkening her face.

Jen inhaled, keeping her head held high as the pair of dark eyes flickered with black and antagonized flames from the long days of no sleep and worry. Jen couldn't help but feel as she were staring right into a mirror. Everyone was suffering in one way or another. The days poured by in slow drops, making one day seem like years, before the next morning dawned. The jungle was so thick and spread out so far each step seemed as if it were luring them into nothing but circles. It was really no surprise that they were all hanging off the edge of going stir mad.

"You guys want me to be leader?" Trini looked around at everyone as she spoke. " Then your leader says, keeping searching. Rest will come later."

Jen looked at the team, most using the time to catch a breathe of the chill frosting the air and relieve the load of their backs from their bulky packs that landed on the ground with a thud. The others stared off into another world rather than focusing on the two rangers. Everyone was just too tired and passive to voice anything.

Trini huffed saying nothing more to Jen as she marched away from her. Aisha reached out to her, her hand half hidden in a wool like sweater. Each pack seemed to have more surprises laying in them that proved to be valuable to the team, such as spare clothing to keep them warm in the colder climates.

" We'll find her, Trini." Aisha said, softly.

" I know we will, 'Sha." Trini exhaled, eyes softening. " Its how we'll find her is that scares me the most."

* * *

**Else Where**

* * *

Sparks of electricity and glimmers of various light raged over the darkness, peeling over the floor with volts of power. The visual screen hovered lighter than air itself and illuminated, once again, in a praising glory. The center swirled and pulsed with waves as an image flooded into it. A being hunched forward in dark ropes that could have been woven from the very trends of the deepest reaches of space and cascaded shadows where the face should have shown. The only thing visible that announced the beings presence were two sickly blood red eyes that dripped energy, like crimson tears in every direction of the face. 

The being inhaled, a long thin wail of hissing dragging in slowly following the breath.

" How may I be of ssservice to you, empresss." The voice was deep and raspy, but it was a woman's voice all the same. Diamond now stood before the view screen too anxious to sit even though she appeared calm and facet remained stony and serious.

" Osis, for centuries you've been my father's loyal and trusted advisor, I have no doubt you'll show to me that same loyalty." The light licked over her lips causing the lipstick to glisten.

"Yesss, my Queen."

" Good." She allowed her eyes to burn through Osis pulsing eyes. " I need to know about my father's sword, the Styx Blade. How is it used to retrieve the Light Crystal of Amora?"

" The Light Crystal? Ssso it iss true." Her breathing slurred over her tongue as the glow from her eyes seemed to pour more heavily around her face. "Sssomeone wishesss to reincarnate the crystal."

" Yes, obviously." Diamond rolled her eyes in an irritated manner. " I thought all I needed was the red line of rangers to summon its power to me, but the days have fell by quickly just the same as their blood, what am I doing wrong? The pages of the journal speaks only in riddles."

" Ah, the Amora Journal, I presssume."

" Yes, why didn't the journal tell me I needed the Styx Blade in the first place?"

" If I could sssee the journal for myssself, I may be able to give you the anssswers to your questionsss." The wiccan slurred, each word causing her eyes to flicker. " Prehapsss it is true that there isss more than one."

"More than one? More than one journal?"

Osis nodded.

" Impossible." The queen narrowed her eyes, thoughts whirling within her head as she kept her gaze alined with the wiccans. She couldn't help the growl from rumbling within the back of her throat. " Its impossible."

" I advise you ssstrongly to bring the journal to me at once than we ssshall know for sssure what isss to be done."

" For your sake, this better be worth my time, Osis." Before another word was spoke, the visual screen swirled away in a vine of mist. Diamond's fingers folded tightly within her palm, quivering till blood drew through the half moons she dug with her perfectly manicured nails.

Her face remained stone-cold, eyes narrowed hard at the center of where the visual scene once floated. She couldn't believe it. Couldn't comprehend how she could possibly be played a fool for so long by the trickery of the written word. A fraud journal? Was it likely? And if so what of her plans? What of summoning the crystal? Could it be done? Would she still need use of the red rangers? And her fathers sword, what had happened to it? She needed to get her hands on it. On the crystal as well.

She didn't know if she were falling several steps back, a single step further or just spiraling in circles. There were just so many questions that needed answers. Frustration and anxiety. Self loathing. She couldn't have messed everything up before it began! That journal had to be real, every last period down to the very last period in the book. Still, that didn't erase the 'what if' stabbing at the back of her mind.

" My Queen," Jaze's silent entrance shook the Queen from her deepening revere. " Is everything alright?"

Diamond's fingers loosened, tiny pin drops of blood dotting her finger nails. She turned away from Jaze, biting down on the tip of her nail so the blood collected on her tongue. Her mind still littered with possibilities and notions.

"Queen Diamond..." Jaze tried again.

" What is it that you want, Jaze?" Diamond prompted him, mind obviously else where.

" I wanted to express my concerns about Dasku. I do not believe his intentions of finding the crystal nor the sword is for your benefit." Jaze took a step closer to her as he spoke. "With your permission, I would like to remove him from our premises, immediately."

Diamond lowered her raised hand to her side, clamping both her hands behind her back. " You think I hand my trust out too easily..."

" I'm only saying that I think we should continue to be cautious around him. I heard of his father, Raskin, he betrayed a lot of empires for his own gain. He even tried to do so with the King, your father." Jaze's eyes followed the Queen as she turned and walked slowly towards her throne chair. Shadows hugged her curves as her hips gently swayed with each step. " I do not wish for history to repeat itself."

Diamond sat at her throne and crossed her legs, the split in her dress exposing them up to her mid-thigh.

" Then we wont let it happen, Jaze." Jaze nodded and started to turn around when the Queen called out. " However, he cannot leave."

" What?" A growl rumbled through Jaze's chest at his shock. " My Queen, I strongly recommend for you to reconsider."

" And I demand you bite down on your tongue with those sharp, pointed fangs of yours, Jaze." A glimmer of energy washed over Diamond's eyes. " Like it or not, I need him to stick around. He has information of my father's sword, after all. If he is to attempt to thwart over my plans, then its better to have him nearby than afar. Your job is to protect me, so I expect you to keep your keen eyes on him. I have great faith that you will not fail me."

Jaze hesitated and his breath quivered from anger tightening his chest. " Yes, my Queen."

" Another thing; I've had recent contact with Osis. I am to depart for Pragin, immediately."

"May I ask why you take such haste?"

" There seems to have been a potential... mistake." Diamond inhaled, tapping her nails rhythmically on top of the curved arm of her throne. " With the journal. There appears to possibly be an error with what was written. Possibly, I am not for sure just yet. That is why I am to see Osis as soon as possible. I need to know about the connection between my fathers sword and the crystal. That journal was supposed to be my key to the crystal's reincarnation."

" An error with the journal. You mean, its not reliable? How is that possible? I spent centuries tracking it down for this very moment in time."

" Don't frustrate me more, Jaze." Diamond rubbed her temples, her head already over filled with too much of her own thoughts already. " I'll know for sure once I see Osis. I want you to keep an eye on Earth, have a team scout the rangers activities and make sure any attempt to defend themselves is destroyed. Find those female rangers, especially that one pink ranger, Kimberly. If you find them contact me at once."

"Of course, my Queen." Jaze bowed his head forward in respect. " Everything will be kept in order until you have returned."

" Or it will be your head, Jaze." Diamonds eyes glowed. " Keep an eye on the red rangers, they are not to be harmed until we know more about the ceremony. Don't let anything foil my project, Jaze. My quarters is restricted."

Jaze nodded.

" I'll have a solo pod speed ready for you, immediately, my Queen." With no other word spoken, Jaze turned and left the throne room, leaving Diamond to her own thoughts.

* * *

" Hello, again, old pup." His voice crawled over Jaze's skin, but he wouldn't give Dasku the privilege of seeing his annoyance. " Having a word with the Queen, I see." 

" Any word spoken between she and I is none of your concern, Dasku." Jaze breezed pass the half plated face assassin not wasting anytime to speak another word with him, but Dasku easily stuck to his side.

" Why it looks as if the old pup is afraid of a little competition." Dasku crackled, razer teeth gleaming in the frame of his thin lips. " I think you're forgetting that thanks to me, the Queen knows about the Styx Blade in the first place, pup. Would have thought the commanding general, she so dearly trusts, would have at least told her, himself. What else are you hiding from her?"

Jaze whipped around, speed blinding to the eye. His sword pulled soundlessly from its case and nestled firmly beneath Dasku's throat. Jaze made sure he was fixed back against the wall with no room to move, nor little to even breathe.

" Don't ever come to me about my loyalties to the Queen. I would spill my own blood onto the dry soil long before I would see her own lie in that fate." He hissed through snarling fangs. He pulled his sword back roughly, making sure to leave a thin line of beaded blood drops dotting along Dasku's neck.

Dasku's smile never left his face as his chuckling bubbled out from his lips. He whipped away the beads of blood from the base of his jaw bone and straighten his stance.

" My, my, the old pup still has his bark, I see." He brushed off his cape as if to straighten some wrinkles.

" I don't want to hear another word out of you." Jaze threaten, eyes burning red. " Your stay is only temporary, I'll make sure of that myself."

Jaze walked away in a quicken pace until he disappeared around the corner.

" Don't worry, old pup." Dasku watched him go, sneering. "Your blood will wet plenty of dry soil soon enough."

He looked back at the Queen's throne room, eyes glowing and mouth twisted over his teeth.

* * *

**Platos**

**Hours later...**

* * *

The fire welcomed them with lashes of heat to discard the chill from their bones and relax the tension in their muscles. They all sat around it, their minds sinking deeply in their own individual thoughts, enjoying the precious moment of rest and a hot meal of soup Alyssa conjured up from the supplies within their packs. After a long trek, night fall and weariness finally convinced Trini to make camp for a night. They found a secluded area, tight enough to house a camp fire and tents for them to bunch into without any problems for the night. The rest was welcoming to them all, Trini included, the leader slowly crawling back from the edge of sanity she tittered on earlier in the day. 

These were her own demons, her struggle with her guilt over losing her best friend so long ago. When she had heard Kimberly would come back, something in her instantly clung onto whatever wreckage there was of their friendship and protected it. Not many could understand it, maybe she herself didn't understand it, but her friendship with kimberly, the memories of everything they been through with one another, had always been something she treasured. It was something that even got them through a lot especially as rangers. Now more than ever, she knew that whatever was going on the last seven years was showing now and the need to understand it and help was pushing her back to that edge, again and again. She needed the truth, she needed Kimberly, and overall, she needed to enough clarity, so she could lead this team. The more time in the place the more she lost her perception of what they needed from her.

Tori stirred the contains left in her plastic bowl, the remaining stew sticking specks of spices on the higher sides of dish. She couldn't stop her thoughts to muster another bite, though her stomach was more than ready to accept it. She thought about the day before, how she felt a link, some force, pulling her to Kim like that first night on the Astro ship. She recalled the tavern and how the pink flamed woman had saved her from an early death, and the day before as she watched Kimberly heal Aisha, how the tides of emotions flooded in her head. The blur of images splashing her till she could actually feel the cover of fall season and the tingle of warmth from the sinking sun. The water casting jewels in her eyes.

_Only its not me,_ Tori mused. She remembered the tinge of shock fusing into her flesh and sending heat currents fanning through her nerves, tossing her senses till they melted into the jumble of pink embers. _Kimberly. It all has to do with Kimberly. But how did it happen?_

Aisha pulled her blanket tighter around her body, the flames dancing in variations of crimson, spicy orange and spouts of yellows that whipped around a flex of untouchable liquid. The heat ran its fingers over her, killing the coldness from her bones to a tamed tingle of comfort. She didn't know where to begin to turn her thoughts, everything merging into one another in a flood of questions that begged for answers.

The turn of events spun quickly in the last few days. All Aisha could clear remember was being drowned in darkness, shallowing it in to her lungs till her soul kicked and shuttered for life. She remembered she was lost, surrounded by endless grounds of black that pulsated with the throbbing echo of her heart. Then, a tear slashed the pitch dark in an embodiment of pink infernos, spreading the warmth of its wings with life. Aisha had felt the flames leap in to her and wash away the pain with its beautiful current that spoke louder than death and her eyes flooded with blinding light. That was when she woke up to her friends huddled around her, all gasping at her in a teary awe. Kimberly hunched over her, drained and shivering.

_Was it all because of me? Am I to blame for her running away? _Aisha inquired, staring heavily at the fire before her. _If I had been on the alert and had my blaster out in the first place that beast thing would have never got me. Kim wouldn't have had to heal me._

The plucked pieces of lumber and branch popped and crackled in the blaze as if feeling the intense gaze of everyone's eyes. Trini tossed a stick in the hands of hot liquid, watching the limb blacken and dabble with orange sparks. She couldn't ease her mind from the past events that had unexpectedly occurred, thinking it over in her head from a new perceptive. Trini remembered when Kim showed up that first day in years since she seen her. She recalled how tensed and alienated she was around everyone, and how she barely slept at all, since they boarded the Astro Ship.

In fact, Kimberly trained throughout the night to make sure she didn't go to sleep at all. And what about Alpha? The way they greeted one another and held on to the others hand in comfort other than his dawning death. But then...How could Alpha know where she was and not...

" Unless, they had to know too!" Trini spoke in soft revelation, her eyes widen and her heart nearly stopped altogether. In the thick silence of the group, her voice managed to summon the teams attention to her.

"Who knew what?" Katie inquired as Trini stood and began to pace.

"Dimitria had to know where Kimberly was all along." Trini couldn't shake the disbelief from her face, the realization just remained stuck to her forehead.

"What?" Kat stood in her confusion. "How do you know that?"

"Of course," Trini's arms threw her arms up in the air as she marched back and forth, heavily in thought.

"It was nagging me all this time. Dimitria assured us everything would be fine. Billy said it himself, morphing energy is tapped into our molecular structure even when we don't have the power anymore. What if Dimitria had purposely prevented us from locating Kimberly's energy."

"What? Wait." Aisha raised her hands to slow the yellow ranger down enough for her to grasp onto some sense. "Are you trying to tell me, Dimitria knew where Kim was all this time?"

" That doesn't make any sense." Kat added softly from Aisha's side. " Dimitria was helping us look for Kimberly when she disappeared. She wouldn't keep it from us like that. You remember how Tommy was during that?"

It wasn't easy to forget.

Trini remembered the late nights that dug into the former leader's features from countless days of searching on end, without sleep.Tommy blamed himself more than anyone for placing his ranger duties before his future with her, more so after he received the letter. Still, even he had to move on as hard as it was for him. Many believed that was what ended his relationship with Katherine. The mention of Kimberly's name became difficult for him to hear, so the conversation about her was most of the time avoided around him.

It wasn't anyone's fault. That was more known now than it was then. Each of them had moved on from their ranger duties, and in turn, moved away from Angel Grove to grow on their own. Even after all the fights they conquered against evil, communication with one another became few and far between, but their bond with one another always remained intact. At least thats what they all believed, until Kimberly had disappeared, leaving only an estrange letter and departure from her dreams in the wake.

" She would if Zordon had requested her to do so." Aisha, Kat and Tanya all eyes widen as they looked at her. " Alpha knew what was going on with Kimberly back on the ship. I have no doubt Zordon knew as well."

"...We tried the energy scan approach to find Kim." Aisha recalled the day when the first two teams of rangers gathered in the power chamber not to long after Zordon's death.

"Exactly!" Trini exclaimed. " We tried all scans for her. We should have found her easily, unless Alpha 6 blocked her signal at Dimitria's request."

" I don't understand," Tanya shook her head, standing. " Why would they not want us to find her?

" And what about Kimberly's parents?" Kat inserted, hugging her arms over her chest. " Even Zordon and Dimitria wouldn't go so far as withholding all contact from Kim to her parents.

"They didn't, remember? Kimberly's mother lives in paris, so its hard enough to get in contact with her already, but when I did, she told me once that Kim had been sending her letters postmarked from Florida for a couple of years or so." Trini explained. "When we first did the energy scan, we never located her there at all."

"So those letters were never sent from Florida in the first place." Tori nodded in understanding.

"What about her father?" Dana asked.

"Kimberly and her father were never close. His job caused for a lot of international traveling. He was always out of town for most of Kimberly's life thats the reason why her parents divorced in the first place." Trini said settling back down onto the ground with the others. Her eyes fell back on to the flexing flames of the fire. " When we first became power rangers, Kim became more connected to Zordon than any of us. Zordon became the father she never had and Kimberly became like his daughter."

" So if something were to happen to Kimberly..." Tanya began with a soft sigh as she gently massaged her temples. Everything Trini had said was making so much sense to her now. She only wished they thought about this all those years ago.

" ...Zordon would have been the first to know." Kat finished, reflecting back on her relationship with Tommy. They loved one another, Kat never questioned that, but Tommy never thought much about a future between them. She thought maybe it was because she would soon depart to London to study Ballet, but now, she was seeing things from a different perspective.

"That still doesn't explain why Zordon or Dimitria never told you guys what was going on in the first place." Ashley acknowledged. The second turbo team remembered both teams of rangers meeting in the Power Chamber, but the reasons behind it stayed mostly between them and their mentor at the time. The turbo rangers could only respect whatever reason there was for not telling them the reason of their unexpected appearance.

"Its simple," Jen spoke up. "They were trying to protect Kim for some reason."

Trini had eloped deeply in the sight of the burning fire. The rusty golden orange glow bronzing her skin with its warm touch. Jen's words resounding in her mind as the group became tented in silence.

"Maybe Zordon wasn't trying to protect Kim from you." Everyone looked to Tayler as she spoke softly. " Maybe Zordon was trying to protect you from her."

"That's absurd." Kat proclaimed coming to Trini's side. " Kimberly would never hurt anyone."

"Tayler..." Alysaa cautioned, but the wild force ranger stood, hands raised to silence any brewing anger.

"Look, hear me out, okay?" Tayler looked to Trini, who watched her silently in the fires golden haze. "Just think about it, everything we've witnessed, the way Kimberly acts around us, her strange powers. Zordon must not have wanted you to know about them."

"He wouldn't do that..." Aisha replied, the words slipping slowly from her lips.

"Wouldn't he? I mean you said Zordon thought of Kim as a daughter." Kendrix offered her support to Tayler's theory. " Is it really that hard to believe that he would prevent you from finding out about her sooner?"

"He was protecting both sides." Ashley said, nodding in understanding, after another moment of silence.

No one said anything for awhile, the questions toasting around the campfire. Tayler's hand pulled through the strains of her blonde hair, uncomfortably.

"Look,I didn't mean anything by it, I was just-"

"It's okay." Trini assured, eyes never leaving the burning blaze. " It's okay, because...you're right."

Everyone looked to her at her confirmation. Kat and Aisha eyes held disbelief, but at the same time Trini knew that apart of them agreed. They were discluded from Kimberly's life for a reason. A reason they didn't want to believe.

" With everything Kim is capable of doing, Zordon knew he had to protect us." Trini couldn't believe what she was saying, but the righteousness of the words was unavoidable. " Maybe even protect her from herself. Whatever happened -because of whatever reason- Kimberly can't control her powers. And even more important, I think something is haunting her."

* * *

Elsewhere

* * *

_'**It is always easier to run...'**_

She couldn't stop.

The cold wind burned pass her face, nipping at her frozen tears and squeezing her aching chest as she pushed herself harder. There was no destination only growing distance, increasing speed.

_"How far can you go?" _The child's voice echoed. _"How many deaths can you die?" _

Kimberly held her breath as she leaped over a trench, legs curling into her chest as her head rolled over her knees in a flawless front flip. For a moment, time itself stilled, and there was only the hands of air and memory holding her in this pause.

She was only flying.

**_'To live in the mind...'_**

Kimberly landed with ease back onto her feet, not wasting even a split second before she raced, again. Trees bent back by her fierce, branches crackled and burst with electrifying energy that popped and sparked in the nights chill. Everything had its own light, darkness was simply her home as her night vision illuminated her path before her.

The thumping of the ball swelled...**Pow Pow Pow!  
**

**_'Focus only on me, child. Only on these words...'_**

"I can't!" Kimberly whimpered stumbling forward. She fell onto her hands and knees, hands sinking in the mud and splashing globs of it onto herself.

_**'You can and you will...For how long can you last otherwise...'**_

" She'll break me." Kim saw the little girl step from the shadows just beyond her reach. The darkness stretched in an angle along her face. The moonlight catching little of her haunting eyes and twisted sneer. The ball swelled, pounding heart beats surrounding her. The little girl giggled, riddles of deathly nature.

_**'...Before you finally stop...' ** _

_" You're broken." _The little girl whispered. The ball fell out of her hands and bounced until it rolled to a halt directly in front of Kim. Blood seemed to pour over its skin from nowhere and everywhere at once. _" Death is all over you."_

"No!" Kimberly staggered to her feet and ran. Her feet slipped and slid on top the mud, the wet ground grabbing onto her feet like clay. She burst through the thick shrubs, her tears spiraling drops of hot pink embers. They fell, dragging popping sparks that splashed the surface of the ground and instantly boiled and cooled into puffs of steam in the cold weather and wet ground. Kimberly didn't bother to whip them away, she just ran harder.

_**'...and face your guilt.''**_

The little girl following not too far behind, giggling and singing her childish chants of her end growing near.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Okay, for anyone still out there that waited and waited for an update, I'm truly sorry. It's been a terrible few months for me is all I can say. Just constant bad news that pulled me away. Um...Anyway, I'm back and trying to get back in the swing of things. Updates are going to be a tad bit slow, because I have to build chapters from scratch now, but it'll be fun. I did a lot of chapter summaries for this story so I know what direction I want to take this. The truth about Kimberly Hart is dawning very near. You'll never believe what happened...Tune in! **Review!** Thanks again for waiting for me. I'll always come back, writing is in my blood along with this adventure we're on. 

** EclipsingFlames  
**


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